H.R. 10843 — VACRA

This section exempts pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works from the mandatory deposit of two copies with the Copyright Office. It requires one complete electronic copy for copyright registration of such works. It directs the Register of Copyrights to certify third-party registries of photographs that maintain electronic copies, author and owner information, and searchable databases for the full copyright term, with deposits in certified registries satisfying registration requirements.

This section directs the Register of Copyrights to establish regulations permitting a single copyright registration for a group of up to 3,000 photographs by the same individual author, using one application and fee. The regulations must allow registration without regard to publication status or dates of creation or publication, accommodate practical workflows through quantity tiers, and increase the 3,000-work limit as technology improves.

This section establishes procedures for deferred registration of pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works. It directs the Register of Copyrights to issue implementing regulations within 180 days, allows electronic submission of applications and fees with deposits to the Copyright Office or third-party registries, sets the submission date as the effective registration date, treats such applications as pending registrations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement under 19 U.S.C. 4343, and permits later examination for full registration upon request and fee payment.

This section exempts pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works that are United States works created after March 1, 1989, from the requirement to provide the date and nation of first publication on a copyright registration application. It also requires the Register of Copyrights to implement and maintain a public-facing interface interoperable with software commonly used by professional creators to allow automatic transmission of deposits and information required for online registration.

This section establishes a fee for deferred copyright registration applications under section 408(g) at no more than half the standard application fee. It directs the Register of Copyrights to adjust fees for paragraphs (1) through (9) and (11) of subsection (a) while ensuring affordability for professional creators and providing reduced fees for individual authors and small business entities. It requires the Register to issue regulations within 180 days for yearly and periodic subscriptions covering registration of pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works, under which paid subscribers incur no per-application fees.