Issue 310 -April 12, 2007

Copyright Office and Patent and Trademark Office Announce Public Roundtable Discussion

The United States Copyright Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office announce a public roundtable discussion concerning the work at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) on a proposed Treaty on the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations. Members of the public are invited to attend and observe the roundtable, or to participate in the roundtable discussion, on the topics outlined in the Federal Register announcement. Requests to observe or to participate are due by 5:00 p.m. on May 4, 2007. (Read further information.)

Copyright Office Proposes Amending Regulations Governing Claims for Renewal of Copyright

The Copyright Office is proposing to amend its regulations governing applications for registration of claims to the renewal term of copyright and seeks public comment on the proposed amended regulations. The amended regulations take into account the fact that, since January 1, 2006, all applications for renewal have necessarily related to works that are subject to automatic renewal and are already in their renewal terms, thus making impossible any 28th-year registration of claims to the renewal term. Comments are due by May 4.

Under the proposed amendment, the Copyright Office will provide revised application forms for the registration of renewal claims. These forms will be available on the Copyright Office website and through postal mail upon request. The proposed revised Form RE, revised Form RE/CON, and revised Form RE/ADDENDUM may be viewed now on the Copyright Office website.