Copyright industries are a critical part of the US and global economies. Advances in technology are accelerating options for creating, distributing, consuming, sharing and preserving content while globally, laws have not kept pace with technology advances. For more than 20 years, the important principle of copyright which protects the work of authors and creators has faced increasing turmoil. We regularly see news of litigation such as music file sharing cases and most recently around the Google Book Search case. Technology has driven other developments such as eBooks and the growth of "user-generated" content in the digital environment.
There is an urgent need for legislative solutions to address our most challenging copyright issues. Issues ranging from clarifying the use of Orphan Works (works where the copyright holder cannot be located) to streamlining registration for groups of copyrighted works to addressing mass digitization of books.
"These two years will see continued developments in technology, content creation and dissemination. Register Pallante's priorities indicate that the government is interested in ensuring that the US retains its leadership position with contemporary policies reflecting the evolving use of content while encouraging creators and publishers to develop new content and new licensing and delivery mechanisms to serve their readers and customers," said Tracey Armstrong, CCC's president and CEO. "Register Pallante has hit the ground running in her new role as head of the Copyright Office, and is already making clear her intention to carry forward the strong leadership that has been the hallmark of the Office for decades. We support this agenda and encourage the US Congress to consider the issues with urgency as recommendations are created. Copyright Clearance Center remains ready to engage to create meaningful solutions for the market."
CCC actively engages both the Register and her staff on issues such as orphan works, mass digitization of content, the effects of different copyright rules around the world and the promotion of licensing as a solution for the needs of both copyright users and rightsholders. "We look forward to working with Register Pallante on all of these issues and hope to be able to assist the Copyright Office in its evaluation of licensing opportunities in the US, ranging from repertory and pay-per-use models to concepts new to the US such as extended collective licensing." said Armstrong.
About Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), the rights licensing experts, is a global rights broker for the world's most sought after materials, including in- and out-of-print books, journals, newspapers, magazines, images, blogs and ebooks. Founded in 1978 as a not-for-profit organization, CCC provides smart solutions that simplify the licensing of content that lets businesses and academic institutions quickly get permission to use copyright-protected materials, while compensating publishers and content creators for the use of their works. For more information, visit www.copyright.com
