[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 10, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14420-14421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07033]
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Royalty Board
[Docket No. CONSOLIDATED 16-CRB-0009-CD (2014-17)]
Distribution of 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 2017 cable royalty funds.
DATES: Comments are due on or before May 10, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Interested claimants must submit timely comments, identified
by CONSOLIDATED docket number 16-CRB-0009-CD (2014-17), 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
[[Page 14421]]
Royalty Board's online electronic filing and case management system, at
https://app.crb.gov/ and search for CONSOLIDATED docket number 16-CRB-
0009-CD (2014-17).
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 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 March 15, 2019, representatives of Allocation Phase 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 40% of
the 2017 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 representatives 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, which represent
traditionally recognized claimant categories. The Judges have not
and do not by this notice determine the universe of claimant
categories for 2017 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 40% of the 2017 cable royalty funds to the requesting
claimant representatives. 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 by accessing the
Copyright Royalty Board's electronic filing and case management system
at https://app.crb.gov/ and searching for CONSOLIDATED docket number
16-CRB-0009-CD (2014-17).
Dated: April 4, 2019.
Jesse M. Feder,
Chief U.S. Copyright Royalty Judge.
[FR Doc. 2019-07033 Filed 4-9-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410-72-P