[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 107 (Monday, June 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25720-25721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-11938]


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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Royalty Board

[Docket No. 17-CRB-0017-CD (2016)]


Distribution of 2016 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 for 
partial distribution of 2016 cable royalty funds.

DATES: Comments are due on or before July 5, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Interested claimants must submit timely comments, identified 
by docket number 17-CRB-0017-CD (2016), by only one of the following 
means.
    CRB's online electronic filing application: Submit comments online 
in eCRB at https://app.crb.gov/.
    U.S. mail or Overnight service (only USPS Express Mail is 
acceptable): Copyright Royalty 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.
    Instructions: Unless submitting online, commenters must submit an 
original, two paper copies, and an electronic version on a CD. All 
submissions must include a reference to the CRB and this docket number. 
All submissions will be posted without change to eCRB at https://app.crb.gov/ including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read submitted background 
documents or comments, go to eCRB, the Copyright Royalty Board's online 
electronic filing and case management system, at https://app.crb.gov/ 
and search for docket number 17-CRB-0017-CD (2016).

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 detailed 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 file a 
timely 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

[[Page 25721]]

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 May 18, 2018, representatives of the categorical groups of 
royalty claimants (Claimants) \1\ filed with the Judges a motion 
pursuant to section 801(b)(3)(C) of the Copyright Act requesting a 
partial distribution amounting to 50% of the 2016 cable royalty funds 
on deposit. 17 U.S.C. 801(b)(3)(C). That statutory 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 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. The Claimants who are the 
moving parties in this requested partial distribution represent 
traditionally recognized claimant categories. The Judges have not 
and do not by this notice determine the universe of claimant 
categories for 2016 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 50% of the 2016 cable royalty funds to the 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 that come to their attention after the close of 
the comment period.
    Members of the public may read the Motion of the Allocation Phase 
Claimants for Partial Distribution by accessing the Copyright Royalty 
Board's electronic filing and case management system at https://app.crb.gov/ and searching for docket number 17-CRB-0017-CD (2016).

    Dated: May 30, 2018.
Suzanne M. Barnett,
Chief U.S. Copyright Royalty Judge.
[FR Doc. 2018-11938 Filed 6-1-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 1410-72-P