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Copyright Chief Stresses Need for Technology Freedom

March 2 (BNA) -- The head of the Copyright Office stressed the agency's need to be able to make decisions about technology independent of the needs of the Library of Congress March 2 in testimony before a House appropriations subcommittee.

Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante appeared before the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch alongside Acting Librarian of Congress David S. Mao to defend the library's 2017 budget request, which includes the Copyright Office's budget.

Pallante has advocated separating the office from the Library of Congress, but she stressed that her plans regarding technology investment and modernization were applicable whether or not such a separation happens.

At the end of February, the office released a proposed technology modernization plan, which asks for $165 million over five years and then an annual increase in the agency's base budget of $25 million (See previous story, 03/02/16).

For fiscal 2017, which begins Oct. 1, the agency has requested a $15 million increase in its budget, the majority of which is intended for technology-oriented staff and infrastructure upgrades.

Prior to Pallante's appearance, Rep. J. Thomas Graves Jr. (R-Ga.), the subcommittee chairman, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the ranking member, acknowledged that the library has been underfunded in recent years. They were supportive of the library's activities and expressed interest in the continued service offered to members of Congress by the Congressional Research Service, which is also housed in the library.

Wasserman Schultz did express concern that the office's 2017 budget proposal was produced prior to the completion of its detailed IT plan but did not press the agency heads for details.

She noted that Congress had asked the office to seek public input on the agency's future funding and asked Pallante to speculate on what stakeholders are likely to say when comments are due later this spring.

Pallante replied that she thought it likely that parties registering their copyright interests with the office—stressing that is voluntary—would not take well to having fees increased to pay for all the information technology modernization when there are many other parties who also stand to benefit from such improvements.

At the end of last month, President Barack Obama announced his choice of Carla D. Hayden to succeed James H. Billington, who stepped down as librarian of Congress after almost 30 years in the post.