[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