U.S. Copyright Office Announces Start of Seventh Triennial Rulemaking Proceeding Under Section 1201
Issue No. 673 - June 30, 2017
The Copyright Office has published a notice of inquiry and request for petitions initiating the seventh triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 1201. Section 1201 provides that the Librarian of Congress, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, may adopt temporary exemptions to the DMCA’s 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 in the next three years, adversely affected in their ability to make noninfringing uses due to the prohibition on circumventing access controls. When such classes are identified, the Librarian promulgates regulations exempting the classes from the prohibition for the succeeding three-year period.
For this proceeding, the Office is establishing a new, streamlined procedure for the renewal of exemptions that were granted during the sixth triennial rulemaking. If renewed, those current exemptions would remain in force for an additional three-year period (October 2018–October 2021).
The notice of inquiry requests for interested parties to submit written petitions for renewal of current exemptions by July 31, 2017, written comments in response to any petitions for renewal by September 13, 2017, and written petitions proposing new exemptions by September 13, 2017.
For more information, please visit https://www.copyright.gov/1201/2018/.