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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 7646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02777]

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Royalty Board

[Docket No. 14-CRB-0011-SD (2013)]

Distribution of 2013 Satellite Royalty Funds

AGENCY: Copyright Royalty Board, Library of Congress.

ACTION: Notice requesting comments.

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SUMMARY: The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on a motion of 
Phase I claimants for partial distribution of 2013 satellite royalty 
funds.

DATES: Comments are due on or before March 13, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments electronically to 
crb@loc.gov. In the alternative, interested parties may send an 
original, five copies, and an electronic copy on a CD either by mail or 
hand delivery. Commenters shall not use multiple means of transmission. 
Interested parties may not deliver comments by an overnight delivery 
service other than the U.S. Postal Service Express Mail. If commenters 
use U.S. mail (including overnight delivery), the appropriate address 
is: Copyright Royalty Board, P.O. Box 70977, Washington, DC 20024-0977. 
If a private party delivers comments by hand, they must be brought to 
the Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial Building, LM-401, 101 
Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000. If a party delivers 
comments by a commercial courier, the comments must go to the 
Congressional Courier Acceptance Site located at 2nd and D Street NE., 
Washington, DC, in an envelope addressed to: Copyright Royalty Board, 
Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial Building, LM-403, 101 
Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lakeshia Keys, Program Specialist, by 
telephone at (202) 707-7658 or email at crb@loc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year satellite systems must submit 
royalty payments to the Register of Copyrights as required by the 
statutory license set forth in section 119 of the Copyright Act for the 
retransmission to satellite subscribers of over-the-air television 
broadcast signals. See 17 U.S.C. 119(b). The Copyright Royalty Judges 
(Judges) oversee distribution of royalties to copyright owners whose 
works were included in a qualifying transmission and who timely filed a 
claim for royalties. Allocation of the royalties collected occurs in 
one of two ways. In the first instance, the Judges may authorize 
distribution in accordance with a negotiated settlement among all 
claiming parties. 17 U.S.C. 119(b)(5)(A), 801(b)(3)(A). If all 
claimants do not reach an agreement with respect to the royalties, the 
Judges must conduct a proceeding to determine the distribution of any 
royalties that remain in controversy. 17 U.S.C. 119(b)(5)(B), 
801(b)(3)(B). Alternatively, the Judges may, on motion of claimants and 
on notice to all interested parties, authorize a partial distribution 
of royalties, reserving on deposit sufficient funds to resolve 
identified disputes. 17 U.S.C. 119(b)(5)(C), 801(b)(3)(C).
    On January 21, 2015, representatives of the Phase I claimant 
categories (the ``Phase I Claimants'') \1\ filed with the Judges a 
motion requesting a partial distribution amounting to 60% of the 2013 
satellite royalty funds pursuant to section 801(b)(3)(C) of the 
Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. 801(b)(3)(C). That section requires that, 
before ruling on the motion, the Judges publish a notice in the Federal 
Register seeking responses to the motion for partial distribution to 
ascertain whether any claimant entitled to receive the subject 
royalties has a reasonable objection to the requested distribution. 
Accordingly, this Notice seeks comments from interested claimants on 
whether any reasonable objection exists that would preclude the 
distribution of 60% of the 2013 satellite royalty funds to the Phase I 
Claimants. Parties making objection to the partial distribution must 
advise the Judges of the existence and extent of all their objections 
by the end of the comment period. The Judges will not consider any 
objections with respect to the partial distribution motion that come to 
their attention after the close of the comment period.
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    \1\ The ``Phase I Claimants'' are Program Suppliers, Joint 
Sports Claimants, Broadcaster Claimants Group, Music Claimants 
(represented by American Society of Composers, Authors and 
Publishers, Broadcast Music, Inc., and SESAC, Inc.), and Devotional 
Claimants. In what has become known as ``Phase I'' of a satellite 
royalty distribution proceeding, the Judges allocate royalties among 
certain categories of broadcast programming that have been 
retransmitted by satellite systems. Traditionally, the categories 
seeking satellite royalties have been movies and syndicated 
television series, sports programming, commercial broadcaster-owned 
programming, religious programming, and music. In Phase II of a 
satellite royalty distribution proceeding, the Judges determine how 
the allocated royalties are to be distributed among claimants within 
each of the Phase I categories.
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    The Judges have caused the Motion of the Phase I Claimants for 
Partial Distribution to be posted on the Copyright Royalty Board Web 
site at http://www.loc.gov/crb.

     Dated: February 5, 2015.
 Suzanne M. Barnett,
Chief U.S. Copyright Royalty Judge.
[FR Doc. 2015-02777 Filed 2-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410-72-P
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