Government Reports, copyrights and copyright law

Government Reports


June 2017	Section 1201 of Title 17 Copyright Office SUMMARY: The Copyright Office "does not recommend altering the basic framework of section 1201, concluding that its overall structure and scope remain sound. It does, however, recommend certain legislative updates."
December 2016	Software-Enabled Consumer Products Copyright Office SUMMARY: The U.S. Copyright Office’s Software-Enabled Consumer Products report examined the adequacy of current copyright law in light of the rapid increase in software-enabled consumer products (SECP) available in the marketplace. The Report looked specifically at the following 5 areas of concern that arise in relation to SECP: Resale, Repair and Tinkering, Security Research, Interoperability, and Licensing of Embedded Software. The Office will continue to monitor these issues, but at this time, recommends no statutory changes.
September 2016	Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: 2016 Update Department of Commerce SUMMARY: This report on the impact of IP on the U.S. economy found that IP-intensive industries support more than 45 million jobs across the U.S. and account for more than $6 trillion worth of value added to the U.S. GDP.
May 2016	Intellectual Property Rights Violations: Federal Civil Remedies and Criminal Penalties Related to Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents, and Trade Secrets Congressional Research Service SUMMARY: This report provides information describing the federal civil remedies and criminal penalties that may be available as a consequence of violations of the federal intellectual property laws: the Copyright Act of 1976, the Patent Act of 1952, the Trademark Act of 1946 (conventionally known as the Lanham Act), and the Economic Espionage Act of 1996.
May 2016	Stakeholders' Views on a Phaseout of Licenses for Broadcast Programming Government Accountability Office SUMMARY: The GAO interviewed stakeholders for their views on phasing out the statutory licenses for broadcast programming. It found that a phaseout may be feasible for most participants in the video marketplace, although there may be statutory implications for the “carriage requirements” governing which local broadcast television stations are carried by cable and satellite operators.
April 2016	What’s on Television? The Intersection of Communications and Copyright Policies Congressional Research Service SUMMARY: Both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee have announced plans to review copyright and communications laws, respectively. Because of the intertwined relationship between copyright and communications laws, major reform of the regulatory structure is likely to require Congress or the courts to consider how copyright and communications laws intersect.
February 2016	The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): In Brief Congressional Research Service SUMMARY: This report provides an overview of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well as a discussion of specific issues raised by its provisions.
February 2016	Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances Legislative Implementation Documents USPTO SUMMARY: The implementation package for the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which provide an international legal framework for the protection of audiovisual performers.
February 2016	Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled Legislative Implementation Documents Department of Commerce SUMMARY: The implementation package for the Marakesh Treaty to Faciliate Access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled, which would expand the availability of print materials in accessible formats such as braille, large print, and specialized digital audio files.
February 2016	The Making Available Right in the United States Copyright Office SUMMARY: At the request of Congress, the Copyright Office reviewed and assessed (1) how the existing bundle of exclusive rights under Title 17 covers the making available right in the context of digital on-demand transmissions such as peer-to-peer networks, streaming services, and music downloads, as well as more broadly in the digital environment; (2) how foreign laws have interpreted and implemented the relevant provisions of the WIPO Internet Treaties; and (3) the feasibility and necessity of amending U.S. law to strengthen or clarify our law in this area.