Copyright transfers and licenses may be terminable years later. Learn how Section 203 windows, notices, heirs, work-made-for-hire exclusions, and derivative works affect creators and copyright businesses.
The Copyright Office amended its Group Registration of Updates to a News Website rule on August 13, 2026. Learn the new definition of a qualifying news website, who may benefit, and what publishers should review before filing.
Copyright law asks one question when someone copies or modifies a work. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act can ask another: did the person circumvent a technological measure that controls access? That distinction is the reason the U.S. Copyright Office conducts a rulemaking every three years under Section 1201 of the DMCA. The tenth triennial proceeding—the 2027 cycle—is now underway. Petitions for new exemptions were due August 24, 2026, and comments supporting or opposing streamlined renewals are due September 28, 2026. The process matters to researchers, repair professionals, educators, preservationists, software developers, accessibility advocates, and businesses that depend on digital access controls. What Section 1201 regulates Section 1201 generally prohibits circumventing technological measures that effectively control access to copyrighted works. It also contains separate provisions addressing trafficking in tools or services designed for circumvention. The access-control prohibition can apply even when the person’s ultimate use of the work would not itself infringe copyright. For example, a user may believe a proposed excerpt, repair, or research activity is fair use. That does not automatically answer whether bypassing a digital lock to obtain access is lawful. The legal analysis therefore has at least two layers: Is the underlying use authorized, licensed, noninfringing, or protected by a copyright limitation such as fair use? Does obtaining access require circumvention, and if so, does a statutory or temporary exemption apply? Conflating those questions is a common and costly mistake. Why there is a triennial rulemaking Congress authorized the Librarian of Congress, acting on the Copyright Office’s recommendation, to create temporary exemptions for classes of copyrighted works when the circumvention prohibition is likely to adversely affect noninfringing uses during the next three years. The process is evidence-driven. Proponents typically must define a [...]
Online publishers produce a relentless stream of articles, photographs, graphics, and updates. Registering each item separately can be expensive and administratively difficult, yet leaving a publishing archive unregistered may weaken enforcement options when content is copied. The U.S. Copyright Office’s group registration option for updates to a news website—known as GRNW—was designed to close that gap. On August 13, 2026, the Office issued an immediately effective final rule that broadened and clarified which websites may use the option. For regional publications, trade journals, digital-native outlets, and specialized news sites, the amendment may make a streamlined registration practice more accessible. What is GRNW? GRNW allows an eligible publisher to register a group of updates to a news website as a collective work. Instead of depositing a complete copy of the live website, the applicant submits identifying material that represents the updates covered by the claim. The procedure recognizes the operational reality of modern publishing: a website changes constantly, pages may be dynamic, and copying an entire site at a single point in time may not accurately capture the works a publisher wants to protect. GRNW is still a registration process with defined requirements. It is not an automatic right created merely because a site occasionally posts current events. What did the 2026 final rule change? The amendment clarified the regulatory definition of a “news website.” Under the revised framework, a website does not have to cover a narrow list of traditional newspaper beats. It need only report on a variety of subjects, while its primary function must be reporting on current events and its content must be updated frequently. That clarification matters for organizations whose publishing model does not resemble a daily newspaper. A qualifying site [...]
If you’ve ever written a website page, taken a photo for your business, posted a video online, designed a logo concept, or even drafted a training manual for your employees, you’ve created something that can be copied in seconds. Here are the copyright basics, what they protect, and why it matters more than you think. That’s the modern problem: creativity is easy to steal because duplication is easy. Copyright law is one of the main tools that helps level the playing field. I’m an attorney at Tucker Law, and while most people know us for injury cases, the truth is the legal world has a common theme: when something important happens, you want to protect yourself before it spirals. With copyrights, the “accident” is usually someone taking your work, passing it off as their own, or using it in a way that costs you money and control. What copyright actually protects: Copyright protects original creative expression that’s fixed in some tangible form. That includes things like: Website text, blog posts, and marketing copy Photos (including product photos and professional headshots) Videos, reels, and online courses Music and audio recordings Books, e-books, PDFs, guides, and manuals Artwork, illustrations, and graphic designs Software code (in many situations) The key idea is “expression,” not just an idea. An easy analogy: an idea is a recipe concept (“a spicy mango salsa”). The expression is the specific recipe you wrote down with your ingredients, measurements, and steps. Copyright protects your written recipe (expression), not the general concept of mango salsa (idea). What copyright does NOT protect: Copyright usually does not protect: Ideas, concepts, or methods (by themselves) Facts (like dates, statistics, or historical events) Titles, short phrases, and slogans (those [...]
Don’t just lawyer up.
Tucker Up.®
