[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 161 (Wednesday, August 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49343-49344]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19434]


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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

U.S. Copyright Office

[Docket No. 2014-05]


Public Draft of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices

AGENCY: U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

[[Page 49344]]


ACTION: Register of Copyrights releases public draft of the Compendium 
of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Copyright Office (the ``Office'') is announcing the 
release of a public draft of its administrative manual, the Compendium 
of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition (the ``Third 
Edition''). It is available on the Office's Web site at http://copyright.gov/comp3/. The Third Edition will remain in draft form for 
120 days pending final review and implementation. It is expected to 
take effect on or around December 15, 2014.

DATES: The public draft of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office 
Practices, Third Edition is available on the Office's Web site as of 
August 19, 2014..

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Kasunic, Associate Register and 
Director of Registration Policy and Practice, U.S. Copyright Office, 
P.O. Box 70400, Washington, DC 20024-0400. Telephone (202) 707-8040.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices is the 
administrative manual of the Register of Copyrights concerning the 
mandate and statutory duties of the Copyright Office under title 17 of 
the United States Code. For the first time in more than two decades, 
the Office is releasing a major revision of this manual titled, 
Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition.
    The Third Edition presents more than 1200 pages of administrative 
practices and sets the stage for a number of long-term improvements in 
the area of registration and recordation policy. While prior 
publications were largely internal,\1\ the Third Edition is a 
comprehensive overhaul that makes the practices and standards of the 
Office more timely and transparent. It will serve as a technical manual 
for staff, as well as a guidebook for authors, copyright licensees, 
practitioners, scholars, the courts, and members of the general public. 
As in the past, it will address fundamental principles of copyright 
law--for example, standards of copyrightability, joint authorship, work 
for hire, and termination of transfers--as well as routine questions 
involving fees, records retrieval, litigation documents, and other 
procedural matters. Among other improvements, the Third Edition will 
offer the significant benefits of electronic publication. Its final 
format will allow for regular updates and will have a multitude of 
hypertext links to statutory and regulatory provisions, glossary terms, 
and cross-references.
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    \1\ The first edition of the Compendium (commonly referred to as 
``Compendium I'') reflected the Office's general practices for 
registration, recordation, and other matters arising under the 
Copyright Act of 1909. The second edition of the Compendium 
(commonly referred to as ``Compendium II'') reflects the Office's 
general practices for registration, recordation, and other matters 
arising under the Copyright Act of 1976, prior to the adoption of 
the Third Edition.
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    The public draft of the Third Edition may be viewed on the Office's 
Web site at http://copyright.gov/comp3/. It will remain in draft form 
for 120 days pending final review and implementation, taking effect on 
or around December 15, 2014.

    Dated: August 12, 2014.
Jacqueline C. Charlesworth,
General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights.
[FR Doc. 2014-19434 Filed 8-19-14; 8:45 am]
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