[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19091-19092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08289]


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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Royalty Board

[Docket No. 16-CRB-0020-CD (2015)]


Distribution of 2015 Cable Royalty Funds

AGENCY: Copyright Royalty Board, Library of Congress.

ACTION: Notice requesting comments.

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SUMMARY: The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on a motion of 
Allocation Phase Claimants for partial distribution of 2015 cable 
royalty funds.

DATES: Comments are due on or before May 25, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Interested claimants must submit comments to only one of the 
following addresses. Unless responding by email or online, claimants 
must submit an original, five paper copies, and an electronic version 
on a CD.
    Email: [email protected]; or
    U.S. mail: Copyright Royalty Board, P.O. Box 70977, Washington, DC 
20024-0977; or
    Overnight service (only USPS Express Mail is acceptable): Copyright 
Royalty

[[Page 19092]]

Board, P.O. Box 70977, Washington, DC 20024-0977; or
    Commercial courier: Address package to: Copyright Royalty Board, 
Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial Building, LM-403, 101 
Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000. Deliver to: 
Congressional Courier Acceptance Site, 2nd Street NE and D Street NE., 
Washington, DC; or
    Hand delivery: Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial 
Building, LM-401, 101 Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20559-
6000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anita Blaine, Program Specialist, by 
telephone at (202) 707-7658 or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year cable systems must submit royalty 
payments to the Register of Copyrights as required by the statutory 
license set forth in section 111 of the Copyright Act for the 
retransmission to cable subscribers of over-the-air television and 
radio broadcast signals. See 17 U.S.C. 111(d). The Copyright Royalty 
Judges (Judges) oversee distribution of royalties to copyright owners 
whose works were included in a qualifying transmission and who timely 
filed a claim for royalties. Allocation of the royalties collected 
occurs in one of two ways.
    In the first instance, the Judges may authorize distribution in 
accordance with a negotiated settlement among all claiming parties. 17 
U.S.C. 111(d)(4)(A). If all claimants do not reach agreement with 
respect to the royalties, the Judges must conduct a proceeding to 
determine the distribution of any royalties that remain in controversy. 
17 U.S.C. 111(d)(4)(B). Alternatively, the Judges may, on motion of 
claimants and on notice to all interested parties, authorize a partial 
distribution of royalties, reserving on deposit sufficient funds to 
resolve identified disputes. 17 U.S.C. 111(d)(4)(C), 801(b)(3)(C).
    On February 17, 2017, representatives of the Allocation Phase 
(formerly Phase I) Parties (``Allocation Phase Claimants'') \1\ filed 
with the Judges a motion requesting a partial distribution amounting to 
60% of the 2015 cable royalty funds pursuant to section 801(b)(3)(C) of 
the Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. 801(b)(3)(C). That section requires that, 
before ruling on the motion, the Judges publish a notice in the Federal 
Register seeking responses to the motion for partial distribution to 
ascertain whether any claimant entitled to receive the subject 
royalties has a reasonable objection to the requested distribution.
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    \1\ The Allocation Phase Claimants are Program Suppliers; Joint 
Sports Claimants; Public Television Claimants; National Association 
of Broadcasters; American Society of Composers, Authors and 
Publishers; Broadcast Music, Inc.; SESAC, Inc.; Canadian Claimants 
Group; Devotional Claimants, and National Public Radio. In the 
Allocation Phase of a cable royalty distribution proceeding, the 
Judges allocate royalties among certain categories of claimants 
whose broadcast programming has been retransmitted by cable systems. 
The ``Allocation Phase Claimants'' who are the moving parties in 
this requested partial distribution represent traditional claimant 
categories. The Judges have not and do not by this notice determine 
the universe of claimant categories for 2015 cable retransmission 
royalties.
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    Accordingly, this Notice seeks comments from interested claimants 
on whether any reasonable objection exists that would preclude the 
distribution of 60% of the 2015 cable royalty funds to the Allocation 
Phase Claimants. Parties objecting to the partial distribution must 
advise the Judges of the existence and extent of all objections by the 
end of the comment period. The Judges will not consider any objections 
with respect to the partial distribution motion that come to their 
attention after the close of the comment period.
    The Judges have caused the Motion of the Allocation Phase Claimants 
for Partial Distribution to be posted on the Copyright Royalty Board 
Web site at http://www.loc.gov/crb.

    Dated: April 19, 2017.
Suzanne M. Barnett,
Chief U.S. Copyright Royalty Judge.
[FR Doc. 2017-08289 Filed 4-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 1410-72-P