U.S. Copyright Office Releases Database Concerning Its Views

The U.S. Copyright Office has released a new publicly accessible database of information concerning copyright matters.  The database contains amicus briefs filed by the U.S. Department of Justice with Copyright Office assistance, Register of Copyright Review and Questions concerning Royalty Board decisions, filings by the Copyright Office in civil actions in which they have an interest, and Copyright Office Review Board decisions since April 2016.  The Copyright Office notice concerning the database states:

Under the Copyright Act, the Copyright Office is responsible for advising the courts on issues of copyright law. This advice manifests itself in many forms. For instance, based on advice received from the Office, the Department of Justice files briefs in federal court on behalf of the federal government on issues of copyright law. In addition, the Copyright Office issues binding opinions on questions of copyright law to the Copyright Royalty Board.

These briefs and legal opinions are valuable resources for those seeking to understand the Copyright Office’s view of copyright law. Today, for the first time, the Copyright Office has published at one place on its website an archive of these briefs and legal opinions. The Office plans to periodically update this archive with new documents and any older documents it discovers.