The News/Media Alliance applauds the Copyright Office for proposing a way for news publishers to efficiently register their online content. For years, publishers have lacked a feasible way to register the full contents of modern news media websites, which constantly publish and update material for their readers. As today’s notice recognizes, existing requirements to submit PDF copies of entire websites with every update posed difficulties for many publishers as well as the Office itself.
We are pleased that the Office has proposed a solution that can be quickly implemented and takes a pragmatic approach by accepting deposits of identifying material to evaluate for registration. It is imperative that digital news publishers can reasonably and functionally access the full benefits of the copyright system, including the statutory remedies for infringement of their content.
Today’s notice is an important step, but not the end, of the process. The News/Media Alliance looks forward to commenting on the proposal and for the Office to swiftly finalize the rule so that publishers can make use of this group option. Building on past successful consultations in connection with the 2018 group newspaper registration rule, we will continue working with the Office to ensure the registration program meets the needs of media publishers. We look forward to further improvements once the outdated computer registration system is eventually updated, and commit to helping educate news publishers so that they may avail themselves of this new group option and comply with its requirements.
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Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
