Congressional Leaders Back Independent Copyright Office
Quote:
In a long-awaited first move toward U.S. copyright reform, the House Judiciary Committee this week released a policy proposal that backed the creation of an autonomous Copyright Office, with control over its own budget and technology needs. Under the proposal, the Register of Copyrights would become a separate, term-limited post (10 years), subject to "advise and consent" rules. Currently, the Copyright Office resides in the Library of Congress, and the Librarian of Congress has sole discretion to hire or fire the register.
The proposal is the first to be made by the committee after a lengthy, recently-concluded review of the nation’s copyright laws. In addition to backing independence for the Copyright Office, the committee also proposed to expand the Copyright Office bureaucracy with new positions, including Chief Economist, Chief Technologist, and a Deputy Register. And the committee also proposed to establish a "small claims" tribunal within the Copyright Office.
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http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...ht-office.html
If mods feel this should be in the P&R forum please feel free to move, I wasn't sure.