[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18704-18705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7427]
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Office
37 CFR Part 201
[Docket No. RM 2011-9]
Fees
AGENCY: Copyright Office, Library of Congress.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is publishing
a final rule establishing an additional fee for a particular service:
Travel expenses in connection with educational activities.
DATES: Effective Date: March 28, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David O. Carson, General Counsel, P.O.
Box 70400, Washington, DC 20024-0400, Telephone: (202) 707-8380.
Telefax: (202) 707-8366.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
This final rule adjusts Copyright Office's schedule of fees by
adding a fee for travel expenses in connection with participation by
Copyright Office personnel in various educational activities when
participation has been requested by another organization or person and
that organization or person has agreed to reimburse the Office for
travel expenses. As the office administering the nation's records of
copyright ownership and as the advisor to Congress, the federal
departments and agencies and the judiciary on national and
international issues relating to copyright, the Copyright Office has
long considered informing and educating the public on copyright issues
to be a strategic goal. In furtherance of that goal, the Office has
long engaged in various educational programs to inform the public on
copyright issues. The Office performs these activities under its
broader authority set forth in 17 U.S.C. 701(b)(4), which directs the
Office to ``[c]onduct studies and programs regarding copyright, other
matters arising under this title, and related matters, the
administration of the Copyright Office, or any function vested in the
Copyright Office by law, including educational programs conducted
cooperatively with foreign intellectual property offices and
international intergovernmental organizations.''
Frequently, the Register of Copyrights and other Copyright Office
employees are requested to travel to speak to various groups of
authors, copyright owners, their representatives, users of copyrighted
works, and other members of the public to provide information about the
activities of the Copyright Office, including copyright registration
and recordation, the statutory licenses, pending and enacted copyright
legislation, Copyright Office regulations, international copyright
developments, significant copyright litigation matters, etc. Because
the Copyright Office has limited travel funds and because various
organizations consider it highly beneficial to host presentations by
Copyright Office officials, it has been the general practice of the
Office to request that the sponsoring organization or person pay the
travel expenses of the Copyright Office personnel. More often than not,
the Office's limited travel funds would not permit the Office to send
anyone to participate in such programs unless the sponsoring
organization or person is willing to pay those expenses.
This regulation codifies the authority for payment of those travel
expenses. It adds a new paragraph (f) to the Copyright Office fee
schedule in Sec. 201.3 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and
provides that the Copyright Office shall charge a fee, consistent with
the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) set forth in Chapters 300 through
304 of Title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations as well as other
applicable laws and regulations, to cover the travel expenses of
Copyright Office personnel, in connection with Copyright Office
educational activities when participation by Copyright Office personnel
has been requested by another person or organization which has agreed
to pay such expenses. The fee may be no greater than the amount
authorized under the FTR.
The Office is also making a technical amendment to paragraph (b)(2)
of Sec. 201.3, changing the reference to section 708(a)(10) of title
17 of the U.S. Code. Due to amendments to section 708, that reference
has been changed to section 708(a).
Because this regulatory amendment simply codifies a longstanding
practice and is necessary in order to permit uninterrupted operation of
the Office's ongoing educational activities, the Register concludes
that providing notice and opportunity for comment would be
impracticable, unnecessary and contrary
[[Page 18705]]
to the public interest. For similar reasons and in order to minimize
disruptions in the Office's educational activities, the Register finds
that there is good cause to make the rule effective immediately upon
publication.
List of Subjects in 37 CFR Part 201
Copyright, General provisions.
Final Rule
In consideration of the foregoing, part 201 of 37 CFR chapter II is
amended as follows:
PART 201--GENERAL PROVISIONS
0
1. The authority citation for part 201 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 17 U.S.C. 702.
0
2 Amend Sec. 201.3 as follows:
0
a. In paragraph (b)(2) by removing ``708(a)(10)'' and adding ``708(a)''
in its place.
0
b. By adding new paragraph (f) as follows:
Sec. 201.3 Fees for registration, recordation, and related services,
special services, and services performed by the Licensing Division.
* * * * *
(f) Fees for travel in connection with educational activities. For
travel expenses in connection with Copyright Office educational
activities when participation by Copyright Office personnel has been
requested by another organization or person and that organization or
person has agreed to pay such expenses, collection of the fee shall be
subject to, and the amount of the fee shall be no greater than, the
amount authorized under the Federal Travel Regulations found in
Chapters 300 through 304 of Title 41.
Dated: March 12, 2012.
Maria A. Pallante,
Register of Copyrights.
Dated: March 19, 2012.
Approved by:
James H. Billington,
The Librarian of Congress.
[FR Doc. 2012-7427 Filed 3-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410-30-P