[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 73 (Wednesday, April 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21439-21440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08627]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Notice of Public Meetings on Copyright Policy Topics (as Called 
for in the Department of Commerce Green Paper, Copyright Policy, 
Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy)

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Department of 
Commerce; National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public roundtables.

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SUMMARY: In the Department of Commerce's Internet Policy Task Force 
(Task Force) Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and 
Innovation in the Digital Economy (Green Paper), released on July 31, 
2013, and in its later Request for Comments issued on Oct. 3, 2013, the 
Task Force stated its intention to convene roundtables on certain 
copyright topics, namely: the legal framework for the creation of 
remixes, the relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the 
digital environment, and the appropriate calibration of statutory 
damages in the contexts of individual file sharers and of secondary 
liability for large-scale infringement. In accordance with these 
previous announcements, the Task Force plans to hold four roundtables 
in cities across the United States in May, June, and July 2014. See the 
Instructions and Information on the Public Roundtables below regarding 
how to participate in or observe the roundtable discussions.

DATES: The four roundtables are scheduled to be held in: (1) Nashville, 
TN on May 21, 2014, (2) Cambridge, MA on June 25, 2014, (3) Los 
Angeles, CA on July 29, 2014, and (4) Berkeley, CA on July 30, 2014. 
All roundtables will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Requests 
to participate and observe are due three weeks in advance of each of 
the respective roundtables on the following dates, by 5:00 p.m. E.S.T.: 
(1) April 30, 2014 for the Nashville roundtable, (2) June 4, 2014 for 
the Cambridge roundtable, (3) July 8, 2014 for the Los Angeles 
roundtable, and (4) July 9, 2014 for the Berkeley roundtable. The 
agendas and webcast information will be available a week before each of 
the roundtables on the Task Force Web site, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/Internetpolicytaskforce and the USPTO's Web site, http://www.uspto.gov/ip/global/copyrights/index.jsp.

ADDRESSES: The Task Force will hold the initial roundtable on May 21st 
at Flynn Auditorium, Vanderbilt University Law School, 131 21st. Ave. 
S. in Nashville, TN 37203, the second roundtable on June 25th at 
Wasserstein Hall, Harvard University Law School, 1585 Massachusetts Ave 
in Cambridge, MA 02138, the third roundtable on July 29th in Los 
Angeles, CA at a location to be announced shortly on the Web sites 
listed above, and the fourth roundtable on July 30th at the Bancroft 
Hotel, 2680 Bancroft Way in Berkeley, CA 94704.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
roundtables, please contact Ann Chaitovitz, Ben Golant, or Hollis 
Robinson, Office of Policy and International Affairs, United States 
Patent and Trademark Office, Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, 
Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone (571) 272-9300. Email questions should 
be sent to [email protected]. Sign up for the USPTO's 
Copyright Alert subscription at enews.uspto.gov to receive updates 
about the roundtables.
    Please direct all media inquiries to the Office of the Chief 
Communications Officer, USPTO, at (571) 272-8400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Roundtable Discussions

    In the Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation 
in the Digital Economy (Green Paper), released on July 31, 2013, and in 
its subsequent request for public comments, 78 FR 61337 (October 3, 
2013), the Task Force stated its intention to hold roundtable 
discussions on (1) the legal framework for the creation of remixes; (2) 
the relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the digital 
environment, and (3) the appropriate calibration of statutory damages 
in the contexts of (i) individual file sharers and (ii) secondary 
liability for large-scale infringement. See Request for Public Comments 
and Notice of Public Meeting, 78 FR 61337-38 (Oct. 3, 2013), available 
at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_pto_rfc_10032013.pdf.
    On December 12, 2013, the Task Force held a day-long public meeting 
to discuss the issues identified for further work in the Green Paper, 
which included panel discussions on remixes, the first sale doctrine, 
and statutory damages, as well as other topics. The Task Force also 
sought written comments both prior to and after the December 12, 2013 
meeting on these

[[Page 21440]]

subjects. An archive of the webcast of the public meeting is available 
at http://new.livestream.com/uspto/copyright, and a transcript is 
available at http://www.uspto.gov/ip/global/copyrights/121213-USPTO-Green_Paper_Hearing-Transcript.pdf. Copies of the comments received 
are available at http://www.uspto.gov/ip/global/copyrights/green_paper_public_comments.jsp.
    The purpose of the planned roundtables is to seek additional input 
from the public in order for the Task Force to have a complete and 
thorough record upon which to make recommendations.
    Each of the scheduled roundtables will be divided into separate, 
consecutive, sessions addressing the following topics raised in the 
Green Paper: (1) The legal framework for the creation of remixes; (2) 
the relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the digital 
environment; and (3) the appropriate calibration of statutory damages 
in the contexts of (i) individual file sharers and (ii) secondary 
liability for large-scale infringement. Time will be reserved at the 
end of each session within each roundtable for observers and viewers to 
comment upon the topic discussed during the session. While the subject 
matter will be consistent across each of the four roundtables, the 
allotted time for each session may vary to accommodate the specific 
interests of the participants at each location. In order to maximize 
participation, no formal opening statements or presentations are 
expected.
    The roundtables will focus on (1) the questions set out in the 
October 3rd Federal Register Notice, 78 FR at 61338-39, (2) the issues 
raised in the stakeholder comments filed both before and after the Dec. 
12 meeting, and (3) points made at the December 12th public meeting. 
Individuals participating in the roundtables may be posed questions on 
any of these issues.

Instructions and Information on the Public Roundtables

    The roundtables will take place on May 21st (Flynn Auditorium, 
Vanderbilt University Law School, 131 21st. Ave. S. in Nashville, TN), 
June 25th (Wasserstein Hall, Harvard University Law School, 1585 
Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, MA), July 29th (location in Los 
Angeles, CA to be announced) and July 30th (the Bancroft Hotel, 2680 
Bancroft Way in Berkeley, CA).
    Interested parties may request to participate in, or to observe, 
the roundtable discussions by submitting a request form, available at 
https://www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=THEG32E&OID=130.\1\ 
Participation will entail responding to questions from Task Force 
members and engaging with other participants, whereas observation will 
entail listening to, but not participating in, the discussions, 
although there will be time for observers to comment at the end of the 
discussion. Parties who wish to attend roundtables in multiple 
locations should submit a separate request form for each location. When 
completing request forms, interested parties should identify the 
particular discussion or discussions they wish to participate in or 
observe. We will respond to the requests to participate or observe two 
weeks before the day the roundtable will be held. Please note that the 
Task Force may not be able to grant all requests but will seek to 
maximize participation to the extent possible.
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    \1\ Individuals who are unable to send requests via the Web site 
should contact Hollis Robinson at (571) 272-9300 to make alternative 
arrangements for submission of their requests to participate.
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    Participants and observers should arrive at least one-half hour 
prior to the start of the roundtable and must present valid government-
issued photo identification upon arrival. The Task Force will provide 
additional information on directions and parking in the agendas for 
each of the roundtables.
    The roundtables will be webcast. A transcription service will also 
be present. The transcriptions will be made available on both the Task 
Force and USPTO Web sites after each roundtable.
    The roundtables will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Individuals requiring accommodation, such as sign 
language interpretation, real-time captioning of the webcast or other 
ancillary aids, should communicate their needs to Hollis Robinson, 
Office of Policy and International Affairs, United States Patent and 
Trademark Office, Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 
22314; telephone (571) 272-9300; email [email protected], at 
least seven (7) business days prior to the roundtable.

    Dated: April 11, 2014.
Michelle K. Lee,
Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy 
Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Lawrence E. Strickling,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 2014-08627 Filed 4-15-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P