[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 1, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 14395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05550]
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Royalty Board
[Docket No. 23-CRB-0008-CD (2022)]
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 of
Allocation Phase Parties for partial distribution of 2022 cable royalty
funds.
DATES: Comments are due on or before May 1, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Interested claimants must submit timely comments using eCRB,
the Copyright Royalty Board's online electronic filing application, at
https://app.crb.gov/.
Instructions: All submissions must include a reference to the CRB
and docket number 23-CRB-0008-CD (2022). 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 23-CRB-0008-CD (2022).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anita Brown, CRB Program Specialist,
at (202) 707-7658 or [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 agreement among all claiming parties. 17 U.S.C.
111(d)(4)(A), 801(b)(3)(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), 801(b)(3)(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 21, 2025, representatives of the Allocation Phase Parties
claimant categories \1\ filed with the Judges a motion pursuant to
section 801(b)(3)(C) of the Copyright Act requesting a partial
distribution of 40% of the 2022 cable royalty funds on deposit. 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. 17 U.S.C. 801(b)(3)(C).
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\1\ For the purpose of distribution of cable royalty funds, the
Allocation Phase Parties are Program Suppliers, Joint Sports
Claimants, Public Television Claimants, Commercial Television
Claimants, Devotional Claimants, Canadian Claimants Group, National
Public Radio, and the Music Claimants, who are comprised of the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, SESAC
Performing Rights, LLC, and Broadcast Music, Inc. The Judges have
not determined, and do not by this notice determine, the universe of
claimant categories for 2022 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 the requested amounts of the 2022 cable royalty funds
to the Allocation Phase Parties. Parties objecting to the proposed
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 docket number 23-CRB-0008-CD
(2022).
Dated: March 27, 2025.
David P. Shaw,
Chief Copyright Royalty Judge.
[FR Doc. 2025-05550 Filed 3-31-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410-72-P