Copyright Royalty Judges

On January 11, 2006, Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington appointed three copyright royalty judges who oversee the copyright law’s statutory licenses, which permit qualified parties to use multiple copyrighted works without obtaining separate licenses from each copyright owner.

The Judges will serve six-year terms, which are staggered. Each may be reappointed to subsequent six-year terms. The Judges were appointed in accordance with the Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004, which became effective in 2005. Among other duties, the Judges are responsible for determining and adjusting the rates and terms of the statutory licenses and determining the distribution of royalties from the statutory license royalty pools that the Library of Congress administers.