The Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force hosted a meeting Dec. 9 on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Additional “watch parties” were held at USPTO regional offices in Denver, Dallas, and Silicon Valley.
The Task Force convened the meeting to facilitate constructive, cross-industry dialogue among stakeholders about ways to promote a more robust and collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works. The meeting focused on initiatives in this space that relate to standards development, interoperability across digital registries, and cross-industry collaboration, to understand the current state of affairs, identify challenges, and discuss paths forward. It was also an opportunity to explore potential approaches to the future adoption and integration into the online marketplace of relevant emerging technologies, such as blockchain technology and open-source platforms. The goal was to provide a platform for discussion, and to determine in what ways government can be of assistance. One outcome could be to establish working groups to tackle specific issues through a multi-stakeholder process.
The meeting included panel sessions in the morning, an exhibition hall to showcase initiatives during lunchtime, and breakout sessions and a plenary discussion in the afternoon. Members of the public had opportunities to participate.
Federal Register Notice: Additional details about the meeting are in a Federal Register Notice published on November 21, 2016.
Registration is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants may attend the meeting in person in Alexandria, Virginia, and also watch the webcast in person at three of the USPTO’s regional offices. Register to attend.
Agenda: A Final Agenda is available at this link.
Transcript: A Transcript is available at this link.
Biographies: Presenter biographies are available at this link.
Additional information: For non-press inquiries, please contact Susan Allen, Attorney-Adviser, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO, at susan.allen@uspto.gov.
Background: The July 2013 Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force’s Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy identified several issues critical to economic growth, job creation, and cultural development on which the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force planned to conduct further work, including the issue of how the government can facilitate the further development of a robust online licensing environment.
In addition to a 2013 public meeting and public comments, the Task Force hosted a public meeting on April 1, 2015, specifically to explore this latter issue. That meeting focused on the development and use of standard identifiers for all types of works of authorship, interoperability among databases and systems used to identify owners of rights and terms of use, and the possible creation of a portal for linking to such databases and licensing platforms. The Dec. 9, public meeting built on that discussion.