March 17, 2006

Publishers' Views of 'Orphan' Works

To the Editor:

The headline "Copyright Office Sides With Publishers in Proposal for Handling 'Orphan' Works" (The Chronicle, February 17) and the accompanying article on the release of the U.S. Copyright Office's "Report on Orphan Works" seriously mischaracterized both the report and the Association of American Publishers' response to it.

With the important exception of how to compensate a copyright owner who comes forward after an otherwise infringing use of a work has