Initial notice of distribution of digital audio recording devices or media.
37 C.F.R. § 201.27
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) General. This section prescribes rules pertaining to the filing of an Initial Notice of Distribution in the Copyright Office as required by section 1003(b) of the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, Public Law 102-563, title 17 of the United States Code, to obtain a statutory license to import and distribute, or manufacture and distribute, any digital audio recording device or digital audio recording medium in the United States.
(b) Definitions. (1) An Initial Notice of Distribution of Digital Audio Recording Devices or Media or Initial Notice is a notice under section 1003(b) of the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, Public Law 102-563, title 17 of the United States Code, which is required by that section to be filed in the Copyright Office by an importer or manufacturer of a digital audio recording device or digital audio recording medium who has not previously filed notice of the importation or manufacture for distribution of such device or medium in the United States.
(2) The product category of a device or medium is a general class of products made up of functionally equivalent digital audio recording devices or media with substantially the same use in substantially the same environment, including, for example, hand-held portable integrated combination units (“boomboxes”); portable personal recorders; stand-alone home recorders (“tape decks”); home combination systems (“rack systems”); automobile recorders; configurations of tape media (standard cassettes or microcassettes); and configurations of disc media such as 2
1/2,″ 3″ and 5″ discs.
(3) The technology of a device or medium is a product type distinguished by different technical processes for digitally recording musical sounds, such as digital audio tape recorders (DAT), digital compact cassette (DCC), or recordable compact discs, including minidiscs (MD).
(4) The terms digital audio recording device, digital audio recording medium, distribute, manufacture, and transfer price, have the meanings of the same terms as they are used in section 1001 of the Copyright Act, title 17 of the United States Code, as amended by Public Law 102-563.
(c) Forms. An Initial Notice form may be obtained from the U.S. Copyright Office free of charge by contacting the address specified in § 201.1.
(d) Filing Deadline. Initial Notices shall be filed in the Copyright Office no later than 45 days after the commencement of the first distribution of digital audio recording devices or digital audio recording media in the United States, on or after October 28, 1992. A manufacturer or importer shall file an Initial Notice within 45 days of the first distribution for each new product category and each new technology that the manufacturer or importer has not reported in a previous Initial Notice.
(e) Content of Initial Notices. An Initial Notice of Distribution of Digital Audio Recording Devices or Media shall be identified as such by prominent caption or heading, and shall include the following:
(1) The designation “Importer” or “Manufacturer,” or both, whichever is applicable, followed by the full legal name of the importer or manufacturer of the digital audio recording device or medium, or if the party named is a partnership, the name of the partnership followed by the name of at least one individual partner;
(2) Any trade or business name or names, trademarks, or other indicia of origin that the importer or manufacturer uses or intends to use in connection with the importation, manufacture, or distribution of such digital audio recording device or medium in the United States;
(3) The full United States mailing address of the importer or manufacturer, and the full business address, if different;
(4) The product category and technology of the devices or media imported or manufactured;
(5) The first date (day, month, and year) that distribution commenced, or is to commence;
(6) The signature of an appropriate officer, partner, or agent of the importer or manufacturer, as specified by the Initial Notice form; and
(7) Other information relevant to the importation or manufacture for distribution of digital audio recording devices or media as prescribed on the Initial Notice form provided by the Copyright Office.
(f) Amendments. (1) The Copyright Office will record amendments to Initial Notices submitted to correct an error or omission in the information given in an earlier Initial Notice. An amendment is not appropriate to reflect developments or changes in facts occurring after the date of signature of an Initial Notice.
(2) An amendment shall:
(i) Be clearly and prominently identified as an “Amendment to an Initial Notice of Distribution of Digital Audio Recording Devices or Media;”
(ii) Identify the specific Initial Notice intended to be amended so that it may be readily located in the records of the Copyright Office;
(iii) Clearly specify the nature of the amendment to be made; and
(iv) Be signed and dated in accordance with this section.
(3) The recordation of an amendment under this paragraph shall have only such effect as may be attributed to it by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(g) Recordation. (1) The Copyright Office will record the Initial Notices and amendments submitted in accordance with this section by placing them in the appropriate public files of the Office. The Copyright Office will advise manufacturers and importers of errors or omissions appearing on the face of documents submitted to it, and will require that any such obvious errors or omissions be corrected before the documents will be recorded. However, recordation by the Copyright Office shall establish only the fact and date thereof; such recordation shall in no case be considered a determination that the document was, in fact, properly prepared or that all of the regulatory requirements to satisfy section 1003 of title 17 have been met.
(2) No fee shall be required for the recording of Initial Notices. The fee for filing an Amendment to an Initial Notice of Distribution of Digital Audio Recording Devices or Media is prescribed in § 201.3(e).
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-37.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026