Publishers' Protections Study: Notice and Request for Public Comment

The United States Copyright Office is undertaking a public study at the request of Congress to evaluate current copyright protections for publishers. Among other issues, the Office will consider the effectiveness of publishers' existing rights in news content, including under the provisions of title 17 of the U.S. Code, as well as other federal and state laws; whether additional protections are desirable or appropriate; the possible scope of any such new protections, including how their beneficiaries could be defined; and how any such protections would interact with existing rights, exceptions and limitations, and international treaty obligations. To aid in this effort, the Office is seeking public input on a number of questions. The Office also plans to hold a virtual public roundtable to discuss these and related topics on December 9, 2021.