[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 245 (Friday, December 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60714-60715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27651]



[[Page 60714]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

[Docket No.: PTO-C-2017-0053]


Notice of Public Meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace 
for Copyrighted Works

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 meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce's internet Policy Task Force (Task 
Force) will hold a conference at the United States Patent and Trademark 
Office (USPTO) facility in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 25, 2018, 
to discuss current initiatives and technologies used to develop a more 
robust and collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works. 
This follows up on three earlier public meetings held by the Task 
Force: On December 12, 2013, which included panels focusing on access 
to rights information and online licensing transactions; on April 1, 
2015, which focused on how the Government can assist in facilitating 
the development and use of standard identifiers for all types of works 
of authorship; and on December 9, 2016, which was designed to 
facilitate constructive, cross-industry dialogue among stakeholders 
about ways to promote a more robust and collaborative online 
marketplace for copyrighted works.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on January 25, 2018, from 9:00 
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Registration will begin at 
8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the United States Patent 
and Trademark Office in the Madison Auditorium, which is located at 600 
Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. All major entrances to the 
building are accessible to people with disabilities. In addition, the 
meeting will be webcast for public viewing, including at the following 
USPTO Regional Offices: The Midwest Regional Office, 300 River Place 
Drive, Suite 2900, Detroit, Michigan 48207; the Rocky Mountain Regional 
Office, 1961 Stout Street, Denver, Colorado 80294; and the Silicon 
Valley Regional Office, 26 S. Fourth Street, San Jose, California 
95113.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
meeting, contact Hollis Robinson or Susan Allen, Office of Policy and 
International Affairs, USPTO, Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (571) 272-9300; email 
[email protected] or [email protected]. Please direct all 
media inquiries to the Office of the Chief Communications Officer, 
USPTO, at (571) 272-8400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Ongoing Government Engagement Relating to Copyright in the Digital 
Economy

    The Department of Commerce established the internet Policy Task 
Force (Task Force) in 2010 to identify leading public policy and 
operational issues impacting the U.S. private sector's ability to 
realize the potential for economic growth and job creation through the 
internet. The Task Force's July 2013 report, Copyright Policy, 
Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy (Green Paper),\1\ was 
the product of extensive public consultations led by the United States 
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration (NTIA).
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    \1\ The Green Paper is available at http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/news/publications/copyrightgreenpaper.pdf.
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    The Green Paper devoted a chapter to ``ensuring an efficient online 
marketplace.'' It looked at some of the then-current examples of legal 
licensing options and noted some impediments to licensing for online 
distribution. These included: The complexity of licensing in the online 
environment, in particular in the music licensing space; challenges 
with mapping old contracts to new uses; and licensing across borders.
    In October 2013, the USPTO and NTIA published a request for public 
comments relating to three areas of work flowing out of the Green 
Paper, including whether and how the Government can facilitate the 
further development of a robust online licensing environment.\2\ The 
request for comments noted that building the online marketplace is 
fundamentally a function of the private sector and described how that 
process has been progressing. It noted the Green Paper's conclusion 
that, while much progress had been made in the licensing of creative 
content for online uses, there remained a need for more comprehensive 
and reliable ownership data, interoperable standards enabling 
communication among databases, and more streamlined licensing 
mechanisms. It posed a number of questions regarding access to and 
standardization of rights ownership information, facilitating the 
effectiveness of the online marketplace, and the role of the Government 
in such matters.
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    \2\ Request for Comments on Department of Commerce Green Paper, 
Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy, 
78 FR 61337-61341, available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_pto_rfc_10032013.pdf.
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    At a subsequent public meeting in December 2013, two panels 
addressed issues related to this topic: Access to rights information 
and online licensing transactions. An archive of the webcast and 
transcript of the public meeting is available at https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/copyright/public-meeting-copyright-policy-creativity-and-innovation. Copies of the comments received are 
available at https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/copyright/public-comments-green-paper.
    In April 2015, the Task Force held another public meeting to 
discuss: The potential for the enhanced use and interoperability of 
standard identifiers across different sectors and geographical borders; 
whether the United States should develop or participate in an online 
licensing platform such as the U.K.'s Copyright Hub; and what the role 
of the Government should be in furthering any of these efforts. A 
transcript and videos of the public meeting are available at http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/copyright/facilitating-development-online-licensing-environment.
    In December 2016, the Task Force convened stakeholders in another 
public meeting to discuss current initiatives and technologies used to 
develop a more robust and collaborative digital marketplace for 
copyrighted works. The meeting focused on initiatives in this space 
that relate to standards development, interoperability across digital 
registries, and cross-industry collaboration, to understand the current 
state of affairs, identify challenges, and discuss paths forward. It 
also provided an opportunity to explore potential approaches to the 
future adoption and integration of relevant emerging technologies into 
the online marketplace, such as blockchain technology and open-source 
platforms. The goal was to provide a platform for discussion and to 
determine in what ways government can be of assistance. The meeting 
included panel sessions in the morning, an exhibition hall to

[[Page 60715]]

showcase initiatives during lunchtime, and breakout sessions and a 
plenary discussion in the afternoon. A transcript and videos of the 
public meeting are available at: https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/public-meeting-developing-digital-marketplace-copyrighted-works-dec.
    Finally, the internet Policy Task Force notes that the United 
States Copyright Office, in terms of its administration of the 
Copyright Act via registration and recordation as well as through its 
law and policy work, is involved in several initiatives that may inform 
this January event. The Copyright Office is actively engaged in a 
number of public processes, such as: Modernizing its information 
technology to improve registration and recordation; \3\ reengineering 
its document recordation system; continuing its multiyear project to 
make historical copyright records created between 1860 and 1977 
accessible online; producing studies that address issues affecting 
online licensing such as Copyright and the Music Marketplace \4\ and 
Transforming Document Recordation; \5\ and developing regulations, 
including those on registration and recordation practices, that improve 
the current system and will pave the way to support a modernized IT 
infrastructure.\6\
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    \3\ U.S. Copyright Office, Modified U.S. Copyright Office 
Provisional IT Modernization Plan: Analysis of Shared Services, 
Support Requirements, and Modernization Efforts (2017), at https://www.copyright.gov/reports/itplan/modified-modernization-plan.pdf.
    \4\ U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright and the Music Marketplace 
(2015), at https://www.copyright.gov/policy/musiclicensingstudy/copyright-and-the-music-marketplace.pdf.
    \5\ U.S. Copyright Office, Transforming Document Recordation at 
the United States Copyright Office (2015), at https://www.copyright.gov/docs/recordation/recordation-report.pdf.
    \6\ See U.S. Copyright Office's web page on rulemakings at 
https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/.
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The Focus of This Meeting

    In the previous public comments and meetings, the Task Force heard 
from stakeholders that the government can play a useful role by 
facilitating dialogues between and among industry sectors and by 
convening stakeholder groups to make recommendations on specific 
issues. Based on this feedback, the Task Force is organizing this 
meeting to build on the work of the December 2016 meeting and 
facilitate constructive, cross-industry dialogue among stakeholders 
about ways to promote a more robust and collaborative online 
marketplace for copyrighted works. We will discuss the potential for 
interoperability across digital registries and standards work in this 
field, and consider how the relevant emerging technologies (e.g., 
blockchain technology, open source platforms) are developing. We will 
also explore potential approaches to guide their future adoption and 
integration into the online marketplace.
    Topics to be covered will include: (1) Initiatives to advance the 
digital content marketplace, with a focus on standards, 
interoperability, and digital registries and database initiatives to 
track ownership and usage rights; (2) innovative technologies designed 
to improve the ways consumers access and use different types of digital 
content (e.g., photos, film, music); (3) ways that different sectors 
can collaborate to promote a robust and interconnected digital content 
marketplace; and (4) the role of government in facilitating such 
initiatives and technological development. Members of the public will 
have opportunities to participate at the meeting.

Public Meeting

    On January 25, 2018, the Task Force will hold a public meeting to 
hear stakeholder input and to consider future work in this area. The 
event will seek participation and comments from interested 
stakeholders, including creators, right holders, and online services 
that produce and distribute copyright protected digital content, as 
well as technologists, cultural heritage institutions, public interest 
groups, and academics.
    The meeting will be webcast. The agenda and webcast information 
will be available no later than the week prior to the meeting on the 
internet Policy Task Force website, at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/internetpolicytaskforce, and the USPTO's website at https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/copyright/developing-digital-marketplace-copyrighted-works-second.
    The meeting will be open to members of the public to attend, space 
permitting, on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration 
for the meeting, which is not mandatory, is available at https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/copyright/developing-digital-marketplace-copyrighted-works-second. The meeting 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, Virginia 22314; 
telephone (571) 272-9300; email [email protected], at least 
seven business days prior to the meeting. Attendees should arrive at 
least one-half hour prior to the start of the meeting and must present 
a valid government-issued photo identification upon arrival. Persons 
who have pre-registered (and received confirmation) will have seating 
held until 15 minutes before the program begins.

    Dated: December 19, 2017.
Joseph Matal,
Performing the functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce 
for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and 
Trademark Office.

David J. Redl,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-27651 Filed 12-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P