Data / Federal rules / 2026-11545
Exemptions To Permit Circumvention of Access Controls on Copyrighted Works
The Copyright Office, Library of Congress published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on June 9, 2026. It took effect on August 24, 2026. Comments closed on September 28, 2026.
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What the agency says
The United States Copyright Office is initiating the tenth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") to determine whether to recommend temporary exemptions to the DMCA's prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. The Office is accepting petitions for renewal of current exemptions and petitions for new exemptions, and will subsequently accept comments in response to renewal petitions.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-11545
- Type
- Proposed rule
- Action
- Notification of inquiry and request for petitions
- Agency
- Library of Congress; Copyright Office, Library of Congress
- Published
- June 9, 2026
- Takes effect
- August 24, 2026
- Comments due
- September 28, 2026
- Dates
- Written petitions for new exemptions and written petitions for renewal of current exemptions must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 24, 2026. Written comments in response to petitions for renewal must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 28, 2026.
- Docket
- Docket No. 2026-4
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 37 CFR 201
- Pages
- 4
Other documents from the Copyright Office, Library of Congress
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Group Registration of Updates to a News Website 2026-16465 | Final rule | Aug 13 |
| Group Registration of Updates to a News Website 2026-10604 | Proposed rule | May 28 |
| Copyright Office Fees 2026-05529 | Proposed rule | Mar 20 |
| Group Registration of Two-Dimensional Artwork 2025-23402 | Final rule | Dec 19, 2025 |
| Electronic Payment of Royalties Using Pay.gov 2025-05444 | Final rule | Mar 31, 2025 |
| Statutory Cable, Satellite, and DART License Reporting Practices 2025-03173 | Final rule | Feb 28, 2025 |
| Electronic Payment of Royalties Using Pay.gov 2024-29119 | Proposed rule | Dec 12, 2024 |
| Statutory Cable, Satellite, and DART License Reporting Practices 2024-28984 | Final rule | Dec 12, 2024 |
Everything from the Copyright Office, Library of Congress · Published in June 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.