On July 14, the U.S. Copyright Office submitted its revised fee schedule proposal and analysis to Congress. The proposed schedule includes lower increases to the fee for Group Registration of Updates to a News Website (GRNW) option than the original proposal published in March. News/Media Alliance had filed comments with the Office – together with forty-nine press associations – objecting to the Office’s proposal to increase the GRNW fee from $95 to $350, highlighting especially small and local publishers’ difficulty absorbing additional costs while keeping their communities informed and investing in high-quality journalism. The final schedule would increase the fee to $275 per application. The Copyright Office noted that this adjustment comes after a seven year period of static fees, despite inflation and reduced congressionally appropriated revenues. The Office cited NMA’s comments and acknowledged that “[t]he vast majority of publishers simply are not large corporations that can subsidize other registrants and users of Copyright Office services,” noting “the critical role news organizations play in disseminating information to the public.” GRNW was one of the only services adjusted downwards in the final schedule, with the Office proceeding to raise almost all fees as proposed. The fees will become final unless Congress acts within 120 days.
