Copyrights - 17 USC Section 701

01/19/04

Sec. 701. The Copyright Office: General responsibilities and
organization

(a) All administrative functions and duties under this title,
except as otherwise specified, are the responsibility of the
Register of Copyrights as director of the Copyright Office of the
Library of Congress. The Register of Copyrights, together with the
subordinate officers and employees of the Copyright Office, shall
be appointed by the Librarian of Congress, and shall act under the
Librarian's general direction and supervision.
(b) In addition to the functions and duties set out elsewhere in
this chapter, the Register of Copyrights shall perform the
following functions:
(1) Advise Congress on national and international issues
relating to copyright, other matters arising under this title,
and related matters.
(2) Provide information and assistance to Federal departments
and agencies and the Judiciary on national and international
issues relating to copyright, other matters arising under this
title, and related matters.
(3) Participate in meetings of international intergovernmental
organizations and meetings with foreign government officials
relating to copyright, other matters arising under this title,
and related matters, including as a member of United States
delegations as authorized by the appropriate Executive branch
authority.
(4) Conduct studies and programs regarding copyright, other
matters arising under this title, and related matters, the
administration of the Copyright Office, or any function vested in
the Copyright Office by law, including educational programs
conducted cooperatively with foreign intellectual property
offices and international intergovernmental organizations.
(5) Perform such other functions as Congress may direct, or as
may be appropriate in furtherance of the functions and duties
specifically set forth in this title.
(c) The Register of Copyrights shall adopt a seal to be used on
and after January 1, 1978, to authenticate all certified documents
issued by the Copyright Office.
(d) The Register of Copyrights shall make an annual report to the
Librarian of Congress of the work and accomplishments of the
Copyright Office during the previous fiscal year. The annual report
of the Register of Copyrights shall be published separately and as
a part of the annual report of the Librarian of Congress.
(e) Except as provided by section 706(b) and the regulations
issued thereunder, all actions taken by the Register of Copyrights
under this title are subject to the provisions of the
Administrative Procedure Act of June 11, 1946, as amended (c. 324,
60 Stat. 237, title 5, United States Code, Chapter 5, Subchapter II
and Chapter 7).
(f) The Register of Copyrights shall be compensated at the rate
of pay in effect for level III of the Executive Schedule under
section 5314 of title 5. The Librarian of Congress shall establish
not more than four positions for Associate Registers of Copyrights,
in accordance with the recommendations of the Register of
Copyrights. The Librarian shall make appointments to such positions
after consultation with the Register of Copyrights. Each Associate
Register of Copyrights shall be paid at a rate not to exceed the
maximum annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General
Schedule under section 5332 of title 5.

AMENDMENTS
1998 - Subsecs. (b) to (e). Pub. L. 105-304, Sec. 401(b)(1),
added subsec. (b) and redesignated former subsecs. (b) to (d) as
(c) to (e), respectively. Former subsec. (e) redesignated (f).
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 105-304 redesignated subsec. (e) as (f) and
substituted "III" for "IV" and "5314" for "5315" in first sentence.
1990 - Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 101-319 added subsec. (e).
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1990 AMENDMENT
Section 5 of Pub. L. 101-319 provided that:
"(a) Effective Date. - The amendments made by this Act [amending
this section and section 802 of this title and sections 5315 and
5316 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and
enacting provisions set out as a note under section 101 of this
title] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act
[July 3, 1990].
"(b) Budget Act. - Any new spending authority (within the meaning
of section 401 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 [2 U.S.C.
651]) which is provided under this Act shall be effective for any
fiscal year only to the extent or in such amounts as are provided
in appropriations Acts."
REFERENCES IN OTHER LAWS TO GS-16, 17, OR 18 PAY RATES
References in laws to the rates of pay for GS-16, 17, or 18, or
to maximum rates of pay under the General Schedule, to be
considered references to rates payable under specified sections of
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, see section 529
[title I, Sec. 101(c)(1)] of Pub. L. 101-509, set out in a note
under section 5376 of Title 5.
NATIONAL COMMISSION ON NEW TECHNOLOGICAL USES OF COPYRIGHTED WORKS
Pub. L. 93-573, title II, Secs. 201-208, Dec. 31, 1974, 88 Stat.
1873-1875, as amended by Pub. L. 94-314, June 21, 1976, 90 Stat.
692; Pub. L. 95-146, Oct. 28, 1977, 91 Stat. 1226, created in the
Library of Congress a National Commission on New Technological Uses
of Copyrighted Works to study and compile data on (1) the
reproduction and use of copyrighted works of authorship (A) in
conjunction with automatic systems capable of storing, processing,
retrieving, and transferring information, and (B) by various forms
of machine reproduction, not including reproduction by or at the
request of instructors for use in face-to-face teaching activities,
and (2) the creation of new works by the application or
intervention of such automatic systems or machine reproduction,
required the Commission to submit a final report to the President
and Congress on or before July 31, 1978, and provided that the
Commission terminated the sixtieth day after submitting the final
report.

Last modified: April 19, 2006