CO Finishes Developing Online System for Designating DMCA Claim Agents

The Copyright Office said it finished developing an online system for designating and searching for agents to received copyright infringement claim notifications under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This “modernizes the designation process and ensures a more usable and accurate public directory,” the CO said in a Monday news release. “The system has also been designed to encourage service providers to keep their information up to date.” The office sought comment in May on a rulemaking that would reduce the agent designation fees from $105 per designation to $6 ahead of the designation system's deployment (see 1605250055). Stakeholders raised concerns about the NPRM's requirement that they renew designations every three years (see 1606240028 and 1606270079). The CO said it will publish a final rule in Tuesday's Federal Register for the designation system, which is to officially deploy Dec. 1. Stakeholders “can begin to acquaint themselves with the new system” via video tutorials, the office said. Online service providers that have previously designated agents with the CO will have until the end of 2017 to submit a new designation electronically via the online system, the office said.