The News/Media Alliance is heartened by the Copyright Office’s proposal to expand the eligibility for its group registration option for frequently updated news websites, known as GRNW. On May 28, the Copyright Office published a proposed amendment that would clarify the definition of news website by removing language related to the subjects covered by a website, reflecting that (1) a news website need only report on a variety of subjects, (2) the primary function of the website must be to report on current events, and (3) the news content must be updated frequently. Since the GRNW option was adopted in 2024, NMA has encouraged the Office to clarify this definition to ensure that news websites focused on specific content verticals, such as sports, food, or business, remain incentivized to register their content under this option.
The proposed rule also notes that many aspects of the GRNW rule have “functioned as intended” since the 2024 adoption, and that news publishers are taking advantage of this option. NMA provides copyright registration tutorials and webinars to its members, and engages in outreach to help educate and facilitate copyright registration for the industry. Our online Copyright Resource Center is available here.
