U.S. Copyright Office, NewsNet Issue 600

NewsNet 600
October 27, 2015

Final Rule Published in Sixth Triennial Section 1201 Proceeding

The Librarian of Congress, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, has adopted exemptions to the DMCA’s statutory prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works in 17 U.S.C. 1201(a)(1).

As with all prior rulemakings, potential exemptions were proposed by members of the public, and were evaluated as part of a public process. Following the receipt of petitions for proposed exemptions, the Copyright Office received extensive public input, including nearly 40,000 written comments and testimony from sixty-three witnesses over seven days of public hearings. Based on this record, the Register recommended that the Librarian adopt exemptions covering twenty-two types of uses. The Librarian adopted the Register’s Recommendation in full.

The final rule, effective as of October 28, 2015, along with the analysis and Recommendation of the Register, may be accessed on the Copyright Office website.

Also read An Introduction to the Register’s Recommendation, which summarizes the exemptions and the rulemaking process.

For all inquiries, please contact the Copyright Office’s Public Information Office at copyinfo@loc.gov or (202) 707-5959.