The Copyright Office's final electronic-agent rule sets a $6 fee for designating, amending or resubmitting an agent record. For a small online service, that is a specific filing cost rather than the full cost of compliance. The rule was published November 1, 2016 and takes effect December 1; this November 8 retrospective does not describe a same-day announcement. [2016-26257]

The identity rules matter when a business runs multiple products. Providers must include alternate names the public would likely search, such as website addresses and application names. But separate legal entities, including distinct parents and subsidiaries, each need their own designation. A collection of brands and a corporate group therefore cannot automatically be treated as the same administrative unit. [2016-26257]

The September 2011 proposal supplies the mechanism behind electronic filing: authenticated accounts would allow providers to validate and change information, while required fields would make submissions more structured. The agency expected efficiency gains, not results already measured. The proposal and final rule come from one policy process, so they cannot independently demonstrate lower total operating costs or easier market entry. [2016-26257][2011-24780]

Under the adopted text, providers must update changed information promptly and renew before the designation expires after three years. Amendment or resubmission starts another three-year period. Paper filers seeking continued compliance must enter the electronic system by December 31, 2017. The useful business distinction is between the small transaction fee and the continuing work of maintaining accurate identities and contacts. Neither payment nor listing purchases universal protection from infringement liability. [2016-26257]

Source documents

  1. Designation of Agent To Receive Notification of Claimed Infringementhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-11-01/html/2016-26257.htm
  2. Designation of Agent To Receive Notification of Claimed Infringementhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2011-09-28/html/2011-24780.htm