Issue 282 -February 23, 2006

Hearings on 1201(a)(1) Rulemaking Announced; Reply Comments on Copyright Office Website

The Copyright Office is announcing hearings in connection with its Section 1201 rulemaking proceeding 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. The hearings will be held at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., on March 23 and March 24, 2006, and at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on March 29 and 31, 2006, and April 3 and 4, 2006. Requests to testify must be received by March 10, 2006. (Read further information.)

Thirty-five reply comments were received by the Copyright Office in the proceeding and are available on the Copyright Office website. The rulemaking proceeding is mandated by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which provides that the Librarian of Congress may exempt certain classes of works from the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. (Read comments.)