Source: https://www.vedderprice.com/copyright-office-clarifies-rules-on-protection-and-damage-award
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 23:41:57+00:00

Document:
Statutory damages for registered works are generally “with respect to any one work…in a sum of not less than $750 or more than $30,000 as the court considers just.”10 In cases where an infringer can prove he/she was unaware of the infringement, the number may be reduced to $200 per work infringed.11 Certain certificates of registration (groups or databases) may include hundreds or thousands of images and arguably cover more than one “work.” In a case where multiple images were copied by an infringer, a holder often will desire to secure multiple statutory awards for each work infringed.
The Copyright Office and the Courts have taken the position that a single published database (e.g. an online website), which includes multiple images when copied (in whole or in part) results in the copy of a single “compilation” work and therefore the award of only one statutory award, even if a large number of images were copied in the database.12 The new guidelines affirm that a group registration protects each image individually and not as a compilation, giving multiple awards when many works are infringed.13 In theory, a group registration of 750 works, if all are infringed, could result in a minimum award of $150,000 for innocent infringers.
In early 2017, one District Court found that when a number of images in an unpublished database (e.g. automated in-house large database) were copied this could result in the grant of multiple statutory awards linked with each image infringed.1415 Trying to distinguish this important precedent, the Office argues that database registrations should only result in one statutory award irrespective of the content, while group registrations are the only way to protect multiple images.16 The law does not support such a simple distinction. For example, a website owner who feels he/she is entitled to a statutory award if the page is protected as a compilation work, cannot simply protect all five images on the same page using a group registration and hope to get five statutory awards as argued by the Copyright Office new regulations.
But generally speaking, the current final rules strongly suggest, if possible financially and logistically, that greater consideration be given to protecting under the group option. We do not recommend dual registration of content using both a database and a group option as this would result in annulment of the merit of claims of individual protection of works found in a database.
1 The Coalition of Visual Artists includes multiple organizations such as the American Photographic Artists (APA), the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), the Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA), the Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) and five others.
2 Fed. Reg. Vol. 83, No. 12, p. 2545.
3 37 C.F.R. § 201.3 provides that paper registrations on Forms TC, VA, PA SE and SR require payment of a fee of $85, while the standard online application fee is $55. A lower fee of $35 may be applied upon filing of a single work by a single author (and not work for hire).
4 Works under hire get a grant of protection of 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).
5 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(5) – Automated Databases; 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(10) – Group of Published Photographs.
6 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(5)(i).
7 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(5)(i)(A),(F).
8 Fed. Reg. Vol. 83, No. 12, p. 2542–47.
9 Fed. Reg. Vol. 83, No. 12, p. 2546.
10 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1).
11 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(2).
12 Buc International Corp. v. International Yacht Council Limited, 489 F.3d 1129 (11th Cir. 2007).
14 VHT, Inc. v. Zillow Group, Inc. et al., No. 2:2015cv01096 (W.D. Wash. 2017).
15 Limited by the doctrine of independent commercial value of the work(s) linked with group registrations.

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