Compendious Compendium: a new edition is now in draft

Earlier this week the U.S. Copyright Office released its Public Draft of the new Compendium of Copyright Office Practices (third edition, to be precise, weighing in at 1,222 pages). Our good friend Magali Delhaye introduces it thus:

Whether on the beach, under a tree in the countryside or at the office, readers of the new Draft Compendium will find in its more than 1,200 pages a very comprehensive administrative manual of the Register of Copyrights concerning the mandate and statutory duties of the Copyright Office under Title 17 of the United States Code.

The new Draft´s aim is to provide instructions to agency staff regarding their statutory duties as well as to offer expert guidance to copyright applicants, practitioners, scholars, the courts, and members of the general public regarding institutional practices and related principles of law. The Draft Compendium addresses fundamental principles of copyright law such as standards of copyrightability, joint authorship, work for hire, and termination of transfers, as well as routine questions involving fees, records retrieval, litigation documents, and other procedural matters.

The new Compendium will remain in draft form for approximately 120 days, pending final review and implementation, taking effect on or around 15 December 2014. Members of the public may provide feedback on the Compendium at any time before or after the Third Edition goes into effect.

Thanks so much, Magali!