Boalt Hall’s Berkeley Center for Law & Technology and the U.S. Copyright Office will co-host a roundtable August 2 on issues raised by “orphan works”–copyrighted works whose owners are difficult or impossible to locate. Many have voiced concern that uncertainty surrounding ownership of such works might discourage creators and users from incorporating such works in new creative efforts or from making new works available to the public.
At the session – which follows two roundtables on the subject in Washington, D.C. – the Copyright Office seeks to gather comment on whether orphan works raise issues that merit a legislative, regulatory or other solution; and if so, what kinds of solution could effectively address these concerns without conflicting with the legitimate interests of authors and rights holders. The roundtable will be open to the public. However, to take part in the discussions, participants must submit a formal request to the Copyright Office.