Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017

Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017

This bill amends federal copyright law to require the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint a Register of Copyrights from a list of at least three individuals recommended by a panel composed of:

• the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
• the President pro tempore of the Senate;
• the majority and minority leaders of the House and the Senate; and
• the Librarian of Congress.

(Currently, the Register of Copyrights is appointed by the Librarian of Congress.)

To be eligible for appointment, the individual must be a U.S. citizen with a professional background and experience in copyright law and must be capable of identifying and supervising a chief information officer responsible for managing modern information technology systems.

The bill limits the term of office for the Register of Copyrights to 10 years, but the individual may be reappointed subject to the same requirements established in this bill.

The President may remove the Register of Copyrights from office and must notify both chambers of Congress of any such removal.

Nothing in this bill may be construed to impact the mandatory deposit requirements under which owners of a copyright or of an exclusive right of publication must deposit in the U.S. Copyright Office two copies or phonorecords of works published in the United States for the use or disposition of the Library of Congress.