On May 25, IPAT participated in the United States Copyright Office’s Section 1201 Study roundtable in San Francisco, discussing ways in which the Office can improve the lengthy and burdensome DMCA rulemaking process. IPAT Clinic Director Jack Lerner appeared on behalf of the International Documentary Association, Film Independent and Kartemquin Educational Films, and advocated for the changes included in the Initial Comment that we submitted to the Register of Copyrights in March as part of the Office’s Section 1201 Study. He also addressed the further recommendations, clarifications, and responses to other initial commenters included in the Reply Comment that we submitted in April, in which the International Documentary Association, Film Independent and Kartemquin Educational Films were joined by Independent Filmmaker Project, Indie Caucus, The National Alliance For Media Arts and Culture, New Media Rights, and Women in Film & Video.
The Copyright Office staff asked many probing questions and, having participated in previous rulemaking proceedings, we appreciate the opportunity to share our insight and experience with them. You can read more about the Clinic’s efforts on behalf of the International Documentary Association, Film Independent, Kartemquin Educational Films, and many others to improve the Digital Millennium Copyright Act here.