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Copyright Office Releases Draft Strategic Plan
Practical Law Legal Update w-000-7124 (Approx. 3 pages)
Copyright Office Releases Draft Strategic Plan
by Practical Law Intellectual Property & Technology
| Published on 26 Oct 2015 • USA (National/Federal) |
The US Copyright Office has released a draft Strategic Plan which lays out a roadmap for modernizing the Copyright Office’s services.
On October 23, 2015, the US Copyright Office released a draft strategic plan for 2016-2020, Positioning the United States Copyright Office for the Future. After four years of internal evaluations and public input, the Plan is meant to organize and prioritize objectives for the next five years. Among other things, the Plan identifies the following goals for modernizing the Copyright Office:
- Improving availability of and access to copyright records by:
- expanding the number of records in the online database, including pre-1978 records;
- employing more robust search tools; and
- offering business to business services.
- Working closely with Congress and executive branch agencies on questions of copyright law and policy.
- Expanding and improving information services, educational programs, authoritative publications, and other expert resources to individuals and businesses.
- Building a robust and flexible technology enterprise dedicated to the current and future needs of a modern copyright agency.
- Improving administration of the copyright laws by:
- decreasing application pendency times;
- developing a proposal for a more efficient and useful recordation system;
- improving processes relating to statutory copyright licenses; and
- critically examining mandatory deposit rules.
Under the Plan, funding for these goals will likely come from two primary sources:
- Fees paid by authors, corporate entities, and other customers, with appropriate accommodations for small actors.
- Annual appropriated dollars reflecting the value of Copyright Office services to entrepreneurs, the public, and the economy.
Although the plan will remain in draft form for 30 days, interested parties may submit written comments on the Copyright Office’s website at any time before or after the Plan goes into effect on December 1, 2015.