Can a copyright owner audit a cable system operating under section 111?
Yes. STELA includes an audit provision that requires the Copyright Office to conduct a rulemaking proceeding to implement a confidential procedure under which a qualified independent auditor working on behalf of all copyright owners can “confirm the correctness of the calculations and royalty payments reported” on a statement of account filed for accounting periods commencing on or after January 1, 2010. The Copyright Office will initiate a rulemaking proceeding in 2010 to implement STELA’s audit language.
