Section 1201 Exemptions to Prohibition Against Circumvention of Technological Measures Protecting Copyrighted Works
Issue No. 558 - September 17, 2014

The Copyright Office has initiated the sixth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 1201, which provides that the Librarian of Congress, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, may exempt certain classes of works from the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. The ultimate goal of the proceeding is to determine whether there are particular classes of works as to which users are, or are likely to be, adversely affected in their ability to make noninfringing uses due to the prohibition on circumvention of access controls. When such classes are identified, the Librarian publishes a rule exempting the classes from the prohibition against circumvention for the succeeding three-year period. The Notice of Inquiry requests written petitions for proposed exemptions from interested parties. For more information, please visit www.copyright.gov/1201/.