People seeking to take advantage of the Federal Copyright Office’s recent rules allowing an online preregistration of copyright may find that they can only preregister their copyright if they use Internet Explorer.
In order for a work to be preregistered for copyright online, the work must be “unpublished, in the process of being prepared for commercial distribution, and in a class of works that the Register of Copyrights determines has had a history of copyright infringement.”
And, oh yes, the work of someone with access to IE.
Says the notice of proposed rulemaking, published in the Federal Register earlier this month, the Federal Copyright Office seeks “information as to whether persons filing the electronic-only preregistration form prescribed by the Copyright Office will experience difficulties if it is necessary to use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser in order to preregister a work.”
Explains GrokLaw’s Pam Jones, “I think I can say on behalf of everyone here that any governmental site that requires IE-only is unacceptable, because it locks out millions of citizens who don’t have and don’t want IE. I, for example, although a copyright owner, would be unable to use the new system as I don’t have IE on any computer I own or have access to. I also don’t want to use that browser, because it has a history of serious security flaws. ”
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Isn’t there something a tad ironic about the Copyright Office offering a defacto monopoly to a copyrighted software?
If you have reason to care about this, and want to help ensure open access to the copyright preregistration process, says the Copyright Office, “the Office now seeks comments that will assist it in determining whether any eligible parties will be prevented from preregistering a claim due to browser requirements of the preregistration system. Therefore, this notice seeks information whether any potential preregistration filers would have difficulties using Internet Explorer (version 5.1 or higher) to file preregistration claims, and if so, why. More generally, in the interest of achieving support for browsers in the Office’s preregistration processing environment, this notice inquires whether (and why) an eligible party who anticipates preregistering a claim on the electronic-only form will not be able to use Internet Explorer to do so, or will choose not to preregister if it is necessary to use Internet Explorer.” (Emphasis added.)
Here’s how to let them know what you think:
DATES:
Comments are due no later than August 22, 2005. Reply comments are due no later than September 7, 2005.
ADDRESSES:
If hand delivered by a private party, an original and five copies of any comment should be brought to Room LM-401 of the James Madison Memorial Building between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the envelope should be addressed as follows: Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Copyright Office, James Madison Memorial Building, Room LM-401, 101 Independence Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000. If hand delivered by a commercial courier, an original and five copies of any comment must be delivered to the Congressional Courier Acceptance Site located at Second and D Streets, NE., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The envelope should be addressed as follows: Copyright Office General Counsel, Room LM-403, James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Avenue, SE., Washington, DC. If sent by mail, an original and five copies of any comment should be addressed to: Copyright GC/ I&R, P.O. Box 70400, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024-0400. Comments may not be delivered by means of overnight delivery services such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service, etc., due to delays in processing receipt of such deliveries.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David O. Carson, General Counsel, or Charlotte Douglass, Principal Legal Advisor, P.O. Box 70400, Washington, DC 20024-0400, Telephone (202) 707-8380. Telefax: (202) 707-8366.
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I don’t hold much love for the department, but it is NOT requiring IE. Read it again: any browser may be used, if it does not work a work-around is IE, and if yours won’t work and you cannot use IE let them know so they can tell the developer to put effort on the browser you use.
Tempest in a teapot.