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The U.S. Copyright Office is planning to hold public hearings as part of the eighth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). These hearings will discuss potential exemptions to the DMCA's rules against bypassing technological controls that safeguard access to copyrighted works. Scheduled to take place remotely via Zoom in April 2021, the hearings will give individuals a chance to speak about different proposed classes of exemptions. Interested parties must submit a request to testify by February 24, 2021, providing specific details about their intended testimony.

The U.S. Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress, has issued a correction to a final rule published on January 11, 2021. The rule pertains to the responsibilities of digital music providers in transferring and reporting royalties for unmatched musical works to a mechanical licensing collective. This action is related to the Music Modernization Act, which aims to address unlicensed use of musical works. The correction involves specific amendments to section 210.10 of the associated regulation.

The U.S. Copyright Office has introduced a new group registration option called "Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music" (GRAM) that allows for the registration of musical works, sound recordings, and certain associated works distributed together on an album. This rule adopts, with some updates, previous proposals from a 2019 notice and will be effective starting March 26, 2021. Applicants can register up to twenty musical works and sound recordings from the same album using this option, which includes the implementation of specific online applications and a fee of $65. The rule aims to streamline the registration process and includes details on eligibility requirements, application procedures, and deposit requirements.

The U.S. Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress, is organizing public roundtables on March 25, 2021, to discuss ways for a mechanical licensing collective to manage and distribute unclaimed music royalties. This event is open to individuals in the music industry and others who wish to participate, with the deadline for requests to join set for February 26, 2021. The roundtables will explore topics like identifying copyright owners, improving the public database and claiming process, and promoting awareness to reduce unclaimed royalties. Participants will be selected based on interest and availability, and the sessions will be conducted via Zoom.

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a final rule to improve the process of recording notices of termination to enhance efficiency. This update clarifies timeliness rules for such notices and expands permissible methods for serving them, including reputable courier services and email if the recipient consents. It also broadens the definition of "harmless errors" to cover minor mistakes in compliance, which do not materially impact the notice. Additionally, the Office plans to explore the development of a directory for digital communication and public comments regarding form templates for these notices.

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a clarification regarding the compliance date for certain reporting obligations related to royalty reporting practices of cable operators. Initially, the compliance was supposed to start with the filing deadline of March 1, 2025, but it has been pushed to August 29, 2025. This decision is due to the fact that the new Statement of Account (SOA) form and instructions are not ready yet. This change impacts reports covering the period from January 1 to June 30, 2025.

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a new rule that requires all royalty fees submitted to the Copyright Office to be paid using Pay.gov. This rule affects cable operators, satellite carriers, and manufacturers and importers of digital audio recording devices who are required to pay these fees. The purpose of this change is to streamline the payment process and make it more convenient for users, as well as to eliminate redundant payment methods. The rule goes into effect on April 30, 2025, and tutorials on how to use Pay.gov are available on the Copyright Office's website.

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a final rule making changes to how cable operators report their royalties, specifically through the Statement of Account form. The changes clarify how different fees, like equipment and broadcast fees, must be reported, remove outdated references, and eliminate certain reporting categories to streamline the process. The rule also requires all payments to be made electronically and introduces measures for closing out statements of account when inquiries are not responded to within a set time frame. These updates aim to improve the clarity and efficiency of royalty reporting for statutory cable, satellite, and digital audio recording licenses.

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing a change to how royalty fees are paid. The new rule will require all royalty payments to be made electronically using the Pay.gov system. This change aims to make the process more efficient and easier to manage by allowing payments via various methods, including credit and debit cards, and by streamlining the payment and form submission procedures. Additionally, tutorials to help users navigate Pay.gov are available on the Licensing Section's website.