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Transitional and Supplementary Provisions
Sec. 101 of S. 22 consists of the completely revised text of title 17 of the United States Code, containing eight chapters and 71 sections running from section 101 through section 809. Sections 102 through 115 of the bill are “transitional and supplementary” provisions which would not be a part of the new title 17.
Effective date
Under Sec. 102 of the transitional and supplementary provisions, the revised title 17 would come into effect on January 1, 1978, “except as otherwise expressly provided by this Act.” Specific exceptions are made for the provisions of sections 118, 304(b), and Chapter 8, which take effect immediately upon enactment. The reference to section 304(b) is necessary to take account of the specified cases of subsisting renewal copyrights that have already been extended under Public Laws 87–668, 89–142, 90–141, 90–416, 91–147, 91–555, 92–170, 92–566, and 93–573, of renewal copyrights scheduled to expire during 1977, and of copyrights for which renewal registration is made between December 31, 1976, and December 31, 1977. In these cases the new statute would operate, before its effective date, to extend the total duration of copyright to 75 years from the date it was secured.
Works in the public domain
Since there can be no protection for any work that has fallen into the public domain before January 1, 1978, Sec. 103 makes clear that lost or expired copyrights cannot be revived under the bill. The second sentence of the section, which prohibits recording rights in nondramatic musical works copyrighted before July 1, 1909, relates to the provision in the 1909 act limiting recording rights to musical works copyrighted after its effective date.
Amendments of other statutes
Sec. 105 contains seven subsections, each amending an existing Federal statute that refers to copyright protection. Consistent with the provisions of section 105 of revised title 17 on works of the U.S. Government, subsection (a) repeals the vestigial provision of the Printing Act dealing with the same subject. Subsection (b) amends the Federal Records Act of 1950 to preserve immunity of the General Services Administration with respect to infringement of Presidential papers that have neither been published nor registered for copyright.
Section 1498(b) of title 28 of the United States Code, the provision dealing with Government liability for copyright infringement, is amended by Sec. 105(c) to substitute the appropriate section number.
Subsection (d) would amend section 543(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, to delete a parenthetical phrase exempting common law copyrights and copyrights in commercial prints and labels from special treatment of personal holding company income; the Treasury Department has agreed to this amendment. Subsection (e) repeals a clause of section 3202(a) of title 39 of the United States Code dealing with the free mailing privilege for copyright deposits under the present law. Subsection (f) amends a provision of the Standard Reference Data Act creating a special exception to the prohibition against copyright in works of the United States Government, and subsection (g) adjusts terminology in the statute governing the Library of Congress.
