Copyright Office extends anti-circumvention comment period

OFFICE EXTENDS DEADLINES AND ANNOUNCES HEARING DATES FOR RULEMAKING ON EXEMPTIONS TO THE PROHIBITION ON CIRCUMVENTION OF TECHNOLOGICAL MEASURES THAT CONTROL ACCESS TO COPYRIGHTED WORKS (1201(1)(a) RULEMAKING) The deadline for filing reply comments in the rulemaking pursuant to section 1201(a)(1) of the Copyright Act on possible exemptions to the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works (64 FR 66139; Nov. 24, 1999) has been extended. Reply comments must be received in the Office of the General Counsel of the Copyright Office no later than 5:00 p.m., EST, on March 31, 2000. As before, they may be filed electronically. The purpose of reply comments is to respond to points made in initial comments submitted and not to raise new issues for the first time.

     Public hearings will be held on May 2-4, 2000 in Washington, D.C. in Room LA-202 of the John Adams Building of the Library of Congress, 110 Second Street, S.E. A second round of hearings will be held on May 17-18, 2000 at Stanford University in Room 290, Stanford Law School, Crown Quadrangle, Stanford, California.

     Post-hearing comments may be submitted in response to matters addressed at the public hearings. Post-hearing comments must be received in the Office of the General Counsel of the Copyright Office no later than 5:00 p.m., EST, on June 23, 2000.

     For details relating to the public hearings, the reply comments and post-hearing comments, including requirements for formatting and submitting comments filed electronically and for the requirements for persons desiring to testify at the public hearings, see the notice to be published in the Federal Register on March 17. The notice also will be posted on March 17 on the Copyright Office Website at
<http://www.loc.gov/copyright/120l/anticirc.html>. This site also
contains the 235 initial comments received in this rulemaking.

Posted by:
John Muller
<johnmuller[_at_]earthlink.net>
Received on Wed Mar 15 2000 - 19:10:58 GMT