Agency and Other Filings

Development of a National Consumer Awareness Campaign on Combating the Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Products

USPTO

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance submitted comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking information from stakeholders on the “Development of a National Consumer Awareness Campaign on Combatting the Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods” as a public-private partnership. The comments provide information on the many ways the Copyright Alliance educates stakeholders on the value of copyright and the risks associated with copyright infringement, and they offer support for the establishment of coordinated campaigns and partnerships led by federal, state and local governments under the guidance of the USPTO and U.S. Copyright Office that would ensure all consumers are aware of the dangers and harms associated with copyright infringement and other forms of intellectual property theft. 

National Strategy for Expanding American Innovation

USPTO

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance and the Institute of IP and Social Justice submitted comments in response to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) notice soliciting input “from the public that will be used to help draft a national strategy to create opportunities that will expand our innovation ecosystem to include all individuals, including those from underrepresented socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic groups.” While none of the questions in the notice reference copyright explicitly, these comments underscore the importance of diversity and inclusion across all forms of IP, including copyright.

Sovereign Immunity Study Reply Comments

U.S. Copyright Office

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance filed reply comments in response to a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) by the U.S. Copyright Office initiating a public study on the degree to which copyright owners are experiencing infringement by state entities without adequate remedies under state law. Highlighting data presented in our initial comments, the comments also refute arguments made by organizations that submitted comments in opposition of abrogating sovereign immunity. The reply comments conclude that the previous round of comments provided sufficient evidence to support the abrogation of state sovereign immunity and that the comments opposed to abrogation are neither persuasive nor supported by sufficient evidence.

Sovereign Immunity Study

U.S. Copyright Office

Summary:

In response to a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) by the U.S. Copyright Office initiating a public study on the degree to which copyright owners are experiencing infringement by state entities without adequate remedies under state law, the Copyright Alliance launched a public survey and conducted interviews with a number of individual creators and organizations that have encountered state infringement. The comments demonstrate compelling evidence that remedies against state infringement are inadequate, and urge that the Copyright Office recommend, and that Congress enact, legislation that abrogates state sovereign immunity pursuant to Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Modernizing Recordation of Notices of Termination

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance submitted comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notification of Inquiry published by the U.S. Copyright Office regarding proposed amendments to regulations governing the recordation of notices of termination, and related practice updates.

Online Publication Reply Comments

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance filed reply comments regarding the U.S. Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on the determination of a work’s publication status for registration purposes.

Registration Modernization

U.S. Copyright Office

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance filed comments in response to the Notice of Inquiry (NOI) published by the U.S. Copyright Office in the Federal Register on March 3, 2020, raising additional questions as a follow-up to its October 2018 NOI on registration modernization.

Public Access to Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Publications, Data and Code Resulting From Federally Funded Research

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance filed comments with the Office of Science and Technology Policy in response to a request for information regarding approaches for ensuring public access to the peer-reviewed scholarly publications, data, and code that result from federally funded scientific research.

Letter to the White House in Response to OSTP Policy Proposal

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to President Trump on February 18 expressing concerns with an Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) proposal that would strip authors and publishers of their copyrights. Specifically, the letter is in response to a proposed policy that would eviscerate the copyrights of journal publishers throughout the country by requiring them to make peer-reviewed articles that report on federally funded scientific research freely available to the public immediately upon publication. Among other things, the letter explains that peer-reviewed journal articles are worthy of copyright protection and that the proposed policy represents a significant regulatory intervention in the private marketplace that already gives copyright owners only one year to commercialize their works. Ultimately, the letter warns that adopting the proposed policy would do significant damage to established markets and the U.S. economy.

Online Publication

U.S. Copyright Office

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance filed comments with the U.S. Copyright Office in response to its notice of inquiry on online publication.