LA W O FFIC ES OF T HOMAS A. B ECK ETT, PLLCP.O. Box 151Hendersonville, NC 28793www.tbeckett.comFebruary 3, 2005Jule L. SigallAssociate Register for Policy & International AffairsU.S. Copyright OfficeCopyright GC/I&RP.O. Box 70400Washington, DC 20024Re: Orphan Works – CommentDear Ms. Sigall:Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the issue of “orphan works” in therealm of copyright. It shows great forethought and responsiveness on the part of theCopyright Office to address this problem as such. As an attorney I have had occasion to counsel a number of individuals whodesired to work with older or “vintage” creative works – music, poetry, literature – inperformances, recordings, or derivative works. These individuals frequently facedsignificant difficulty ascertaining the copyright status of these works. While licensingbureaus such as The Harry Fox Agency can often “rule in” the copyright status of a work,they cannot help “rule out” with certainty whether a copyright claimant exists somewhere.I support a proposal to require registration or renewal of works to maintain currentcopyright rights. This would help reduce uncertainty for people desiring to use suchworks in new creative enterprises. In this day and age, the uncertain prospect of anintellectual property lawsuit has been shown to deter people from using older works innew productions. Removing this uncertainty would free older “orphaned” works fromthis legal purgatory. In so ...