Copyright Office Announces Proposals Received in DMCA Anticircumvention Rulemaking

The United States Copyright Office seeks comments on proposals to exempt certain classes of works from the prohibition on circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works.

In September 2011, the Office initiated a rulemaking proceeding in accordance with provisions added by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) that provide that the Librarian of Congress, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, may exempt certain classes of works from the prohibition against circumvention.

The purpose of this rulemaking is to determine whether there are particular classes of works as to which users are, or are likely to be, adversely affected in their ability to make noninfringing uses due to the prohibition on circumvention.

This notice publishes the classes of works received by the Office that were proposed by several parties in the comment period that ended on December 1, 2011. Comments addressing the proposed classes of works are due on February 10, 2012.

Reply comments addressing points made in the initial comments are due on March 2, 2012. A comment form is posted on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov/1201/comment-forms. All proposed classes of works are available on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov/1201/2011/initial/.

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