US Copyright Office unveils new organisational structure

By Emmanuel Legrand

The new organisational structure of the US Copyright Office has been finalised, making room in particular for the new Copyright Claims Board (CCB) established by the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2020. 

  The reorganisation reduces the number of direct reports to the Register of Copyrights and is "expected to create administrative and cost efficiencies by consolidating operational organisations currently headed by senior-level positions." 

  The reorganisation brings the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, renamed the Financial Management Division, and the Copyright Modernisation Office, renamed the Product Management Division) under the supervision of the Chief of Operations, renamed the Assistant Register and Director of Operations (ARDO). The Office of Public Records and Repositories is renamed the Office of Copyright Records. 

  Regarding the CCB, the reorganisation puts the three Copyright Claims Officers under the jurisdiction of the Copyright Office’s General Counsel.

> The US Library of Congress has announced the membership of the new Copyright Public Modernisation Committee (CPMC), which is being convened "to enhance communication and provide a public forum for the technology-related aspects of the US Copyright Office’s modernisation initiative." 

  The first CPMC meeting will be hosted by the Library on July 22, 2021. 

  The members of the Committee are: 

Todd Carpenter (National Information Standards Organisation), 

Wahaj Chaudhry (Amazon.com), 

Susan Chertkof (Recording Industry Association of America), 

Brewster Kahle (InternetArchive), 

Roy Kaufman (Copyright Clearance Center), 

Keith Kupferschmid (Copyright Alliance), 

Melissa Levine (University of Michigan Library), 

Pamela Malpas (Association of American Literary Agents) who will act as the Copyright Committee co-chair, 

Micah May (Digital Public Library of America), 

James Neal (Columbia University Librarian Emeritus, ALA, ACRL), 

Kathleen Rodriguez (WarnerMedia), 

Jeff Sedlik (Picture Licensing Universal System -PLUS- Coalition), 

Scott Weingart (Carnegie Mellon).