Comment from Anonymous
Anonymous AnonymousOpposeIndividual
Summary: An individual commenter argues that the proposed fee structure is unfair because it does not account for the financial resources of the registrant. They suggest that fees should be scaled based on the registrant's ability to pay, similar to a grant system, to ensure that independent creators are not priced out of the registration process.
As the fee varies by material category, I feel like it is unfair that works with higher financial backing would cost less to register than those without it. After reading U.S. Copyright Office FY2024 Fee Study: Cost Assessment Report, I do understand that the fee is based on the time it would take to process the registration, and that reading a 300-page book might take more time than watching a 2-hour movie. However, I feel like the Federal Register needs to take into consideration who is registering the copyright. A movie company would more easily afford the registration fee than an indie book author or movie producer. I understand that the Federal Register needs funding to do its work, but we should also consider who is paying the fees. Almost like applying for school grants, people with more money should pay more. This would also level the playing field and bring more works into the public.