Copyright Office Initiates Study on Ancillary Copyright Protections for Publishers and Requests Public Comments

The U.S. Copyright Office has published a Federal Register notice announcing a study on the matter of “ancillary copyright” protections for publishers, with a focus on press publishers. Congress requested this study to evaluate whether additional protections for press publishers are desirable, following the recent implementation of such protections in the European Union, which are intended to secure press publisher rights against uses of their content by third parties. To assist the Office in preparing a report for Congress, the notice requests written comments from the public on a number of questions.

Additionally, the notice announces that the Office intends to hold a virtual public roundtable on this topic on December 9, 2021.

For additional information, including instructions for submitting comments, please visit the Office website. Comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on November 26, 2021.