Federal Register :: Exemptions To Permit Circumvention of Access Controls on Copyrighted Works

"The United States Copyright Office is initiating the ninth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) to consider possible temporary exemptions to the DMCA's prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. In this proceeding, the Copyright Office is again providing a streamlined procedure for the renewal of exemptions that were granted during the eighth triennial rulemaking. If renewed, those current exemptions would remain in force for an additional three-year period (October 2024–October 2027). Members of the public seeking the renewal of current exemptions should submit petitions as described below; parties opposing such renewal will then have the opportunity to file comments in response. The Office is also accepting petitions for new exemptions to engage in activities not currently permitted by existing exemptions, which may include proposals that expand on a current exemption. Those petitions, and any renewal petitions that are opposed, will be considered pursuant to a rulemaking process that includes three rounds of written comment, followed by public hearings, which the Office intends to conduct virtually."