Published Date: 01-03-17

CreativeFuture and the copyright community need your help.

As you know, the former Register of Copyrights, Maria Pallante, was removed from her post by the new Librarian of Congress in October. The Librarian has begun a search for a new Register. The first step in this process is a survey being conducted by the Librarian to solicit input from the public on the attributes of the next Register.

It is in the best interest of all creatives to make sure the person selected by the Librarian to be the next Register is someone who supports the creative community and someone we all can support. So this is where we need your help.

The first thing we need you to do is to complete the survey. To help you, we’ve prepared a model response below that you can use as a guide to assist you in completing it. While you are certainly free to cut and paste this model response into the survey, we encourage you to add your own input and your own words. We also encourage you to add a statement that speaks to why copyright is important to you when answering the fourth question. The survey must be completed no later than January 31, 2017.

The second thing we are asking you to do is to recruit other creatives and friends of the creative community to complete the survey. To do so, you can use social media or simply forward this email to them with a personalized note asking them to take action.

To make things as easy as possible, below are sample tweets to share with fellow creatives:

Thank you in advance for your help with this key initiative.

Click here to access the survey.

Warmest,

The CreativeFuture Team

 

CreativeFuture’s Model Responses to
The Librarian of Congress’s
Register of Copyrights Survey

 

1. What are the knowledge, skills, and abilities you believe are the most important    for the Register of Copyrights?

The next Register of Copyrights must:

  • Have the experience and the skills to authentically articulate and evangelize the importance and value of copyright and creativity and the benefits of a strong copyright system and modernizing the Copyright Office;
  • Have a deep understanding of and appreciation for copyright law and the critical role of the Copyright Office;
  • Have experience representing the copyright interests of creatives and copyright owners;
  • Understand the statutory responsibilities of and services provided by the Copyright Office
  • Most importantly, have the clear support of the copyright community.

Other qualities in a Register that would be beneficial but not essential, include having:

  • First-hand experience with the legislative process, including working with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees;
  • Either direct experience with enterprise level IT systems and databases or being capable of understanding the issues that arise in implementing and administering such systems;
  • Experience working with or on behalf of the Copyright Office, the House or Senate Judiciary Committees or the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on copyright policy matters
  • Management experience.

2. What should be the top three priorities for the Register of Copyrights?

Priority #1: Advocate for the importance and value of copyright and creativity and articulate and promote the benefits of a strong copyright system and a modern Copyright Office;

Priority #2: Modernize the Copyright Office by immediately implementing the Copyright Office’s IT modernization plan, which includes making the registration and recordation process easier and more affordable.

Priority #3: Ensure that the Copyright Office and modernization efforts are financed by means other than registration and recordation fees.

3. Are there other factors that should be considered?

As a creative, I believe that the views of creatives who make their living in whole or in part through copyrights (as well as those who represent the interests of those creatives) should be given greater weight in this survey than those who are not. It is also important that both the views of the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and of all living former Registers, be taken into account in the selection of the next Register.

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