[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 79 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 19108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9526]


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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Office


Notice of Inquiry and Request for Comments on the Topic of 
Facilitating Access to Copyrighted Works for the Blind or Persons With 
Other Disabilities; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

ACTION: Notice of inquiry and request for comments; Notice of public 
meeting; Reopened.

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SUMMARY: The United States Copyright Office (Copyright Office) and the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are extending the 
time in which comments and reply comments may be filed on the topic of 
facilitating access to copyrighted works for ``blind or other persons 
with disabilities'' \1\ in connection with a forthcoming meeting of the 
Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights of the World 
Intellectual Property Organization.
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    \1\ Various terms are used formally and informally throughout 
the world. When inquiring about experiences within the United 
States, the term used in this Notice of Inquiry is that which 
appears in U.S. copyright law. See 17 U.S.C. 121(d)(2). There, the 
term ``blind or other persons with disabilities'' is defined to 
include individuals who are eligible or who may qualify in 
accordance with the Act entitled ``An Act to provide books for the 
adult blind,'' approved March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 135a; 46 Stat. 
1487).

DATES: Initial comments on the Notice of Inquiry and Request for 
Comments are due 5 p.m. on April 28, 2009. Reply comments are due 5 
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p.m. on May 12, 2009.

ADDRESSES: If hand-delivered by a private party, an original and five 
copies of a comment or a reply comment should be brought to the Library 
of Congress, U.S. Copyright Office, Public Information Office, Room LM-
401, 101 Independence Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20559, between 8:30 
a.m. and 5 p.m. The envelope should be addressed as follows: Office of 
Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Copyright Office.
    If delivered by a commercial courier, an original and five copies 
of a comment or reply comment must be delivered to the Congressional 
Courier Acceptance Site (CCAS) located at 2nd and D Streets, NE., 
Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The envelope should be 
addressed as follows: Office of Policy and International Affairs, U.S. 
Copyright Office, Room LM-403, James Madison Building, 101 Independence 
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20559. Please note that CCAS will not 
accept delivery by means of overnight delivery services such as FEDEX, 
United Parcel Service, or DHL. If sent by mail (including overnight 
delivery using U.S. Postal Service Express Mail), an original and five 
copies of a comment or reply comment should be addressed to U.S. 
Copyright Office, Office of Policy and International Affairs, Copyright 
GC/I & R, P.O. Box 70400, Washington, DC 20024.
    Electronic submissions may be made through the Copyright Office Web 
site: http://www.copyright.gov/docs/sccr/comments. The comment form for 
initial comments has been activated. The comment form for reply 
comments will be activated approximately one week prior to the 
deadline. All comments submitted electronically must be submitted as an 
attachment, and must be in a single file in either Adobe Portable 
Document File (PDF) format that contains searchable, accessible text 
(not an image); Microsoft Word; WordPerfect; Rich Text Format (RTF); or 
ASCII text file format. The maximum file size is 6 megabytes (MB). The 
attached comment must include the name of the commenter. There is a 
browse button on the form that will allow commenters to attach the 
comment file to the form and then to submit the completed form to the 
Copyright Office. The Copyright Office and the USPTO intend to post all 
comments from this proceeding on the Copyright Office Web site. For 
comments submitted electronically, the name and organization of the 
commenter from the comment form will be posted together with the entire 
attached comment document. Other information from the comment form will 
not be posted, but note that if the same information is included in the 
attached document it will be available on the Copyright Office Web site 
as part of the attachment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Pallante, Associate Register, 
Policy and International Affairs, or Michele Woods, Senior Counsel for 
Policy and International Affairs, by telephone at 202-707-1027, by 
facsimile at 202-707-8366 or by electronic mail at [email protected] or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States Copyright Office and the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office are extending the comment and 
reply comment periods for commenting on the topic of facilitating 
access to copyrighted works for ``blind or other persons with 
disabilities'' in connection with a forthcoming meeting of the Standing 
Committee on Copyright and Related Rights of the World Intellectual 
Property Organization. This action is being taken in order to allow 
interested parties adequate time to give input on this important issue.
    Comments are due by 5 p.m. on April 28, 2009. Reply comments are 
due by 5 p.m. on May 12, 2009.

    Dated: April 22, 2009.
Maria Pallante,
Associate Register for Policy & International Affairs, U.S. Copyright 
Office.
[FR Doc. E9-9526 Filed 4-22-09; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 1410-30-P