17 U.S.C. § 1504 — Nature of proceedings
submitted 6 years ago by Pub. L. 116-260 to r/title-17-COPYRIGHTS · 1,333 words · no verdicts yet
Proceedings before the Copyright Claims Board are voluntary, and parties keep the right to use another forum or seek a jury trial. This section sets filing deadlines, allowed and excluded claims, available remedies, liability rules, and limits on case numbers.
(a) Voluntary participation. Participation in a Copyright Claims Board proceeding is voluntary. Each party* keeps the right to pursue a claim, counterclaim, or defense in a United States district court, another court, or another forum, and to seek a jury trial. The rights, remedies, and limits in this section may be waived only as this chapter allows. (b) Statute of limitations. (1) A proceeding may be maintained only if it starts before the Board, as section 1506(e) requires, no later than three years after the claim accrued. (2) Subject to section 1507(a), starting a Board proceeding pauses the time allowed by section 507(b) to start an action on the same claim in a United States district court while the Board proceeding is pending. (c) Permissible claims, counterclaims, and defenses. Subject to further limits and requirements in Register of Copyrights regulations, the Board may decide: (1) an exclusive-right infringement claim under section 106 brought by the legal or beneficial owner at the time of infringement, seeking damages within subsection (e)(1); (2) a declaration that an exclusive right under section 106 was not infringed, consistent with section 2201 of title 28; (3) a section 512(f) claim for misrepresentation in a claimed-infringement notice or a counter-notice seeking replacement of removed or disabled material, with remedies limited to those this chapter provides; (4) a counterclaim asserted only against the claimant* that seeks damages within subsection (e)(1) and either (A) arises under section 106 or 512(f) from the same transaction or occurrence as an infringement, noninfringement, or misrepresentation claim under paragraphs (1), (2), or (3), or (B) arises under an agreement about that same transaction or occurrence, if the agreement could affect the claimant’s relief; (5) a legal or equitable defense under this title or otherwise available by law, responding to a claim or counterclaim under this subsection; and (6) one or more paragraph (1), (2), or (3) claims by one or more claimants against one or more respondents, only if every claim in the proceeding comes from the same alleged infringement or continuing course of infringements and the total damages sought or recovered do not exceed subsection (e)(1). (d) Excluded claims. The Board may not decide: (1) a claim or counterclaim not allowed by subsection (c); (2) one finally decided by a court with jurisdiction, or pending in such a court, unless the court has stayed it for Board proceedings; (3) one by or against a federal or state government entity; or (4) one against a person or entity outside the United States, unless that person or entity started the Board proceeding and is subject to counterclaims under this chapter. (e) Permissible remedies. (1) Monetary recovery. (A) For copyright infringement, subject to subparagraph (D), the Board may award either: (i) actual damages and profits calculated under section 504(b), taking account when appropriate of an agreement to stop or reduce the infringement under paragraph (2); or (ii) statutory damages under section 504(c), subject to these limits: (I) for a work timely registered under section 412 and eligible for statutory damages, no more than $15,000 for each infringed work; (II) for a work not timely registered but eligible under this section, no more than $7,500 per work or $15,000 total in one proceeding; (III) the Board may not find or consider whether the infringement was willful in awarding statutory damages; and (IV) the Board may consider whether the infringer agreed to stop or reduce the infringement. (B) Before a final determination, and despite the Board’s section 1506(k) schedule, a claimant or counterclaimant* must elect either actual damages and profits or statutory damages, or no damages. (C) Damages for other claims and counterclaims, including section 512(f) claims, are subject to (D). (D) A party may not seek or recover more than $30,000 total in one Board proceeding, excluding attorneys’ fees and costs awardable under section 1506(y)(2). (2) Agreement to stop activity. The Board must include a requirement to stop conduct if a party agrees, and the agreement is in the record, to stop conduct found infringing, including removing, disabling access to, or destroying infringing material, or to stop sending a section 512 takedown notice or counter-notice about the conduct when that notice was a knowing material misrepresentation under section 512(f). (3) Attorneys’ fees and costs. Except for bad-faith conduct under section 1506(y)(2), each party pays its own attorneys’ fees and costs. (f) Joint and several liability. Parties may be held jointly and severally liable if all parties and relevant claims or counterclaims arise from the same activity or activities. (g) Number of cases. The Register may regulate the number of proceedings the same claimant may bring each year, in the interests of justice and Board administration.
Participation in a Copyright Claims Board proceeding shall be on a voluntary basis in accordance with this chapter, and the right of any party* to instead pursue a claim, counterclaim, or defense in a district court of the United States, any other court, or any other forum, and to seek a jury trial, shall be preserved. The rights, remedies, and limitations under this section may not be waived except in accordance with this chapter.
A proceeding may not be maintained before the Copyright Claims Board unless the proceeding is commenced, in accordance with section 1506(e), before the Copyright Claims Board not later than 3 years after the claim accrued.
Subject to section 1507(a), a proceeding commenced before the Copyright Claims Board shall toll the time permitted under section 507(b) for the commencement of an action on the same claim in a district court of the United States during the period in which the proceeding is pending.
The Copyright Claims Board may render determinations with respect to the following claims, counterclaims, and defenses, subject to such further limitations and requirements, including with respect to particular classes of works, as may be set forth in regulations established by the Register of Copyrights:
A claim for infringement of an exclusive right in a copyrighted work provided under section 106 by the legal or beneficial owner of the exclusive right at the time of the infringement for which the claimant* seeks damages, if any, within the limitations set forth in subsection (e)(1).
A claim for a declaration of noninfringement of an exclusive right in a copyrighted work provided under section 106, consistent with section 2201 of title 28.
A claim under section 512(f) for misrepresentation in connection with a notification of claimed infringement or a counter notification seeking to replace removed or disabled material, except that any remedies relating to such a claim in a proceeding before the Copyright Claims Board shall be limited to those available under this chapter.
A counterclaim that is asserted solely against the claimant in a proceeding—
pursuant to which the counterclaimant* seeks damages, if any, within the limitations set forth in subsection (e)(1); and
that—
arises under section 106 or section 512(f) and out of the same transaction or occurrence that is the subject of a claim of infringement brought under paragraph (1), a claim of noninfringement brought under paragraph (2), or a claim of misrepresentation brought under paragraph (3); or
arises under an agreement pertaining to the same transaction or occurrence that is the subject of a claim of infringement brought under paragraph (1), if the agreement could affect the relief awarded to the claimant.
A legal or equitable defense under this title or otherwise available under law, in response to a claim or counterclaim asserted under this subsection.
A single claim or multiple claims permitted under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) by 1 or more claimants against 1 or more respondents, but only if all claims asserted in any 1 proceeding arise out of the same allegedly infringing activity or continuous course of infringing activities and do not, in the aggregate, result in the recovery of such claim or claims for damages that exceed the limitations under subsection (e)(1).
The following claims and counterclaims are not subject to determination by the Copyright Claims Board:
A claim or counterclaim that is not a permissible claim or counterclaim under subsection (c).
A claim or counterclaim that has been finally adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction or that is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction, unless that court has granted a stay to permit that claim or counterclaim to proceed before the Copyright Claims Board.
A claim or counterclaim by or against a Federal or State governmental entity.
A claim or counterclaim asserted against a person or entity residing outside of the United States, except in a case in which the person or entity initiated the proceeding before the Copyright Claims Board and is subject to counterclaims under this chapter.
With respect to a claim or counterclaim for infringement of copyright, and subject to the limitation on total monetary recovery under subparagraph (D), the Copyright Claims Board may award either of the following:
Actual damages and profits determined in accordance with section 504(b), with that award taking into consideration, in appropriate cases, whether the infringing party has agreed to cease or mitigate the infringing activity under paragraph (2).
Statutory damages, which shall be determined in accordance with section 504(c), subject to the following conditions:
With respect to works timely registered under section 412, so that the works are eligible for an award of statutory damages in accordance with that section, the statutory damages may not exceed $15,000 for each work infringed.
With respect to works not timely registered under section 412, but eligible for an award of statutory damages under this section, statutory damages may not exceed $7,500 per work infringed, or a total of $15,000 in any 1 proceeding.
The Copyright Claims Board may not make any finding that, or consider whether, the infringement was committed willfully in making an award of statutory damages.
The Copyright Claims Board may consider, as an additional factor in awarding statutory damages, whether the infringer has agreed to cease or mitigate the infringing activity under paragraph (2).
With respect to a claim or counterclaim of infringement, at any time before final determination is rendered, and notwithstanding the schedule established by the Copyright Claims Board under section 1506(k), the claimant or counterclaimant shall elect—
to recover actual damages and profits or statutory damages under subparagraph (A); or
not to recover damages.
Damages for claims and counterclaims other than infringement claims, such as those brought under section 512(f), shall be subject to the limitation under subparagraph (D).
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a party that pursues any 1 or more claims or counterclaims in any single proceeding before the Copyright Claims Board may not seek or recover in that proceeding a total monetary recovery that exceeds the sum of $30,000, exclusive of any attorneys’ fees and costs that may be awarded under section 1506(y)(2).
In a determination of the Copyright Claims Board, the Board shall include a requirement to cease conduct if, in the proceeding relating to the determination—
a party agrees—
to cease activity that is found to be infringing, including removing or disabling access to, or destroying, infringing materials; or
to cease sending a takedown notice or counter notice under section 512 to the other party regarding the conduct at issue before the Board if that notice or counter notice was found to be a knowing material misrepresentation under section 512(f); and
the agreement described in subparagraph (A) is reflected in the record for the proceeding.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except in the case of bad faith conduct as provided in section 1506(y)(2), the parties to proceedings before the Copyright Claims Board shall bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs.
Parties to a proceeding before the Copyright Claims Board may be found jointly and severally liable if all such parties and relevant claims or counterclaims arise from the same activity or activities.
The Register of Copyrights may establish regulations relating to the permitted number of proceedings each year by the same claimant under this chapter, in the interests of justice and the administration of the Copyright Claims Board.
Source credit: (Added Pub. L. 116–260, div. Q, title II, § 212(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2181.)
- 2020Enacted · Pub. L. 116-260 · 134 Stat. 2181
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 116-260 on 2020-12-27.
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