How to Make

Statutory License Royalty Payments by ACH Credit

This circular contains instructions on how to originate an ACH credit through a financial institution for statutory license royalty payments.¹

Under the copyright statutory licenses, cable systems, satellite carriers, and digital audio recording technology (DART) manufacturers and importers must pay royalty fees using electronic funds transfer (EFT). Cable systems and satellite carriers are also required to pay a filing fee for current, past, and future accounting periods. The EFT process benefits both the remitter and the Copyright Office as the agency responsible for collecting and distributing royalty fees. EFTs can be transmitted either as Automated Clearing House (ACH) credits or as Fedwire (wire) transactions, depending on how a transfer is arranged through a financial institution. Alternatively, they can be transmitted as ACH debits using the U.S. Treasury Department's web-based remittance system, Pay.gov.

For other options, see How to Make Statutory License Royalty Payments by Wire (Circular 74A), or How to Make Statutory License Royalty Payments Using Pay.gov (Circular 74C).

Procedure to Pay by ACH Credit

1. Contact your financial institution to determine if it is capable of originating ACH payments. Many financial institutions offer personal-computer-based ACH origination programs that allow you to input payment information directly into the prescribed format and to transmit the information to the financial institution.
2. Do not send a prenotification.

3. Settlement of the ACH must occur by the appropriate filing deadline. Settlement generally occurs the banking day after the ACH transmission. Check with your financial institution on timing to avoid interest payments.

4. Provide your financial institution with the specific instructions below so that the ACH can be transmitted:

Financial institution:	Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Location:	701 E. Byrd Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Receiving ABA number:	051036706
Account number:	303017
Account name:	U.S. Copyright Office
Adenda record:	See “Payment-Related Instructions”

Payment-Related Instructions

Provide accounting period; the number of statements of account; the type of royalty payment (cable, satellite, or DART); and the legal name of the owner of the cable system (and the first community and state served from one statement of account), the satellite carrier, or the DART manufacturer or importer covered by the electronic transfer.

Example: APC-952/NSA-00001/TOF-Cable/LNR-ABC CABLE CO (ALBANY NY)/

A description of subfields and their order for payment-related information follows.

Subfield Description

1. APC: A three-digit subfield indicating the accounting period covered by the electronic transfer. The second accounting period for the year is indicated by “102.” If the payment covers multiple accounting periods use “map” as the subfield and indicate on the cover letter the accounting period for each statement.
2. NSA: A five-digit subfield with leading zeros representing the number of statements of account the transfer covers, “00001” for 1 statement and “00095” for 95 statements.
3. TOF: Indicates the type of royalty fee payment (cable, satellite, or DART).
4. LNR: The last subfield is for the legal name of the owner of the cable system or satellite carrier or the DART manufacturer or importer covered by the electronic transfer payment and one community served if a cable system.

NOTE: All subfields in the payment-related information area must end with a “/”. The remitter should inform the financial institution that transmits the EFT to ensure that all information is provided in the prescribed format. Failure to provide the information in the prescribed format may cause a delay of the transfer.

Procedures to File the Statement of Account

Cable or Satellite

1. The royalty fee must be remitted by electronic payment, and the related statement(s) of account must be filed by the appropriate deadline.
2. Complete the Remittance Advice Form RA-1 if you are filing a cable or satellite statement of account. Send the completed form by email or fax to the Licensing Division indicating:

1. Remitter's (company) name

2. Contact person

3. Telephone number and extension, and an email address

4. Date of EFT (actual or anticipated) and type of EFT

5. Type of royalty payment (cable or satellite)

6. Total amount of EFT

7. Legal name (See space B of statement of account)

8. Total amount to be paid by year, period, ID number, first community served (cable only), filing fees, and royalty fees

DART

1. The royalty fee must be remitted by electronic payment, and the related statement(s) of account must be filed by the appropriate deadline.
2. Complete the Remittance Advice Form RA-2 if you are filing a DART statement.

1. Remitter's (company) name

2. Contact person

3. Telephone number and email address

4. Date of EFT (actual or anticipated) and type of EFT

5. Total amount of EFT

6. Legal name (See space B of statement of account)

7. Year, period, ID number, and royalty amount paid per statement

Important

1. A remittance advice form must accompany statements of account.
2. Royalty payments received after the filing deadline are subject to an interest assessment. Contact the Licensing Division at licensing@copyright.gov or visit our website at www.copyright.gov/licensing for interest rates.
3. Failure to follow these instructions may result in return of the royalty fees to the remitter's account.
4. The Library of Congress, U.S. Copyright Office, Licensing Division, is an agency of the U.S. government and is exempt from backup withholding (taxpayer identification number: 53-6002532).

NOTE: See Copyright Office Licensing Division Service Fees (Circular 76).

NOTE

1. This circular is intended as an overview of how to make statutory license royalty payments by ACH credit. The authoritative source for U.S. copyright law is the Copyright Act, codified in Title 17 of the United States Code. Copyright regulations are codified in Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Copyright Office practices and procedures are summarized in the third edition of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, cited as the Compendium. The copyright law, regulations, and the Compendium are available on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

For Further Information

By Internet

The copyright law, the Compendium, electronic registration, application forms, and related materials are available from the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

By Email

To send a licensing related inquiry, e-mail licensing@copyright.gov. To send a general email inquiry, click the Contact Us link on the Copyright Office website.

By Telephone

For licensing related information, call the Licensing Division at (202) 707-8150. For general information about copyright, call the Copyright Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free). Staff members are on duty from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. To request paper application forms or circulars by postal mail, call (202) 707-9100 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free) and leave a recorded message.

By Regular Mail

Write to

Library of Congress

U.S. Copyright Office

Licensing Division

101 Independence Avenue, SE #6400

Washington, DC 20557-6400