82 FR 45624 - Distribution of 2015 Satellite Royalty Funds

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Royalty Board

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 188 (September 29, 2017)

The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit reply comments on a motion of Allocation Phase claimants for partial distribution of 2015 satellite royalty funds.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 188 (Friday, September 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45624-45625]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20926]


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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Royalty Board

[Docket No. 17-CRB-0011-SD (2015)]


Distribution of 2015 Satellite Royalty Funds

AGENCY: Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), Library of Congress.

ACTION: Notice requesting reply comments.

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SUMMARY: The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit reply comments on a 
motion of Allocation Phase claimants for partial distribution of 2015 
satellite royalty funds.

DATES: Reply comments are due on or before October 30, 2017. Surreplies 
from original commenters are due on or before November 8, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may make replies and surreplies, identified by docket 
number 17-CRB-0011-SD (2015), by any of the following methods:
    CRB's electronic filing application: Submit comments online in eCRB 
at https://app.crb.gov/.
    U.S. mail: Copyright Royalty Board, P.O. Box 70977, Washington, DC 
20024-0977; or
    Overnight service (only USPS Express Mail is acceptable): Copyright 
Royalty Board, P.O. Box 70977, Washington, DC 20024-0977; or
    Commercial courier: Address package to: Copyright Royalty Board, 
Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial Building, LM-403, 101 
Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000. Deliver to: 
Congressional Courier Acceptance Site, 2nd Street NE. and D Street NE., 
Washington, DC; or
    Hand delivery: Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial 
Building, LM-401, 101 Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20559-
6000.
    Instructions: Unless submitting online, commenters must submit an 
original, five paper copies, and an electronic version on a CD. All 
submissions must include the CRB's name and docket number. All 
submissions will be posted without change to eCRB on https://www.crb.gov including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to eCRB, the Copyright Royalty Board's electronic 
filing and case management system, at https://app.crb.gov/ and search 
for docket number 17-CRB-0011-SD (2015). For documents not yet uploaded 
to eCRB (because it is a new system), go to the agency Web site at 
https://www.crb.gov/ or contact the CRB Program Specialist.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anita Blaine, CRB Program Specialist, 
by telephone at (202) 707-7658 or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 17, 2017, representatives of all 
the Allocation Phase claimant categories (formerly ``Phase I'') \1\ 
filed with the Judges a motion requesting a partial distribution 
amounting to 60% of the 2015 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

[[Page 45625]]

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.
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    \1\ The ``Allocation Phase 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.
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    On April 17, 2017, the Judges published a notice in the Federal 
Register seeking comments on the motion.\2\ The Judges received two 
comments on the motion, both of which opposed the partial distribution 
as proposed. In particular, one commenter contended that two of the 
parties seeking a partial distribution had not provided a means to 
permit proper identification of those claimant representatives and that 
neither of the claimant representatives was an established claimant 
with respect to satellite funds and therefore were precluded by 
applicable precedent from receiving a partial distribution of satellite 
royalties. On June 9, 2017, the Devotional Claimants filed a motion for 
leave to file reply comments to the objection of the Multigroup 
Claimants. Motion of Devotional Claimants for Leave to File Reply to 
Multigroup Claimants' Objection to Partial Distribution of 2015 
Satellite Royalty Funds to Certain ``Allocation Phase Parties.'' In 
light of this motion and the comments submitted on the filing, the 
Judges request reply comments that respond to any issues the commenters 
raised with respect to the motion for partial distribution and that 
address whether or not any commenter raised a reasonable objection to 
the proposed partial distribution and if not, why not.\3\
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    \2\ 82 FR 18160.
    \3\ Given the Judges' general request for reply comments, the 
Judges DENY the Devotional Claimants' motion as moot.
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    In addition, the Judges permit either of the original commenters to 
offer surreply to any reply comments the Judges receive. Reply comments 
must be filed no later than 30 days after the publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. Surreplies, if any, must be filed no 
later than ten days after the deadline for filing reply comments.
    The Motion of the Allocation Phase Claimants and the comments are 
posted on the Copyright Royalty Board Web site at http://www.loc.gov/crb.

    Dated: September 26, 2017
Suzanne M. Barnett,
Chief U.S. Copyright Royalty Judge.
[FR Doc. 2017-20926 Filed 9-28-17; 8:45 am]
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