Title 17, CopyrightsRelease 119-110

§1508 Review and Confirmation by District Court

Title 17 › CHAPTER 15 — COPYRIGHT SMALL CLAIMS › § 1508

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

If someone does not pay or follow a final Copyright Claims Board decision, the person who won can ask a U.S. district court to confirm that decision and turn it into a judgment. The request must be made within 1 year after the final decision is issued, or after any reconsideration, review by the Register of Copyrights, or amended decision—whichever happens last. The court must enter judgment unless the decision has been set aside, changed, or fixed under the challenge rules. If the court confirms the decision, it must make the losing party pay the reasonable costs the winner needed to get the order, including lawyers’ fees. To ask the court to confirm, the winner must notify all parties using the court’s normal rules for serving a motion and file a certified copy of the final or amended decision plus a signed statement under penalty of perjury saying the copy is true, the date it was issued, the reason for any challenge under the law, and whether there are other court cases about the same decision. A party who wants to challenge the Board’s decision has 90 days after the final or amended decision, or after the Register’s review (whichever is later), to ask a district court to set aside, change, or correct it for fraud or misconduct, the Board exceeding its power or failing to decide the issue, or, for default cases, excusable neglect. Notice must go to all parties, and a judge may pause enforcement of the award while the challenge is being decided.

Full Legal Text

Title 17, §1508

Copyrights, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In General.—

In any proceeding in which a party has failed to pay damages, or has failed otherwise to comply with the relief, awarded in a final determination of the Copyright Claims Board, including a default determination or a determination based on a failure to prosecute, the aggrieved party may, not later than 1 year after the date on which the final determination is issued, any reconsideration by the Copyright Claims Board or review by the Register of Copyrights is resolved, or an amended final determination is issued, whichever occurs last, apply to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or any other appropriate district court of the United States for an order confirming the relief awarded in the final determination and reducing such award to judgment. The court shall grant such order and direct entry of judgment unless the determination is or has been vacated, modified, or corrected under subsection (c). If the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or other district court of the United States, as the case may be, issues an order confirming the relief awarded by the Copyright Claims Board, the court shall impose on the party who failed to pay damages or otherwise comply with the relief, the reasonable expenses required to secure such order, including attorneys’ fees, that were incurred by the aggrieved party.

(b)Filing Procedures.—

(1)Application to confirm determination.—

Notice of the application under subsection (a) for confirmation of a determination of the Copyright Claims Board and entry of judgment shall be provided to all parties to the proceeding before the Copyright Claims Board that resulted in the determination, in accordance with the procedures applicable to service of a motion in the district court of the United States where the application is made.

(2)Contents of application.—

The application under subsection (a) shall include the following:

(A)A certified copy of the final or amended final determination of the Copyright Claims Board, as reflected in the records of the Copyright Claims Board, following any process of reconsideration or review by the Register of Copyrights, to be confirmed and rendered to judgment.

(B)A declaration by the applicant, under penalty of perjury—

(i)that the copy is a true and correct copy of such determination;

(ii)stating the date the determination was issued;

(iii)stating the basis for the challenge under subsection (c)(1); and

(iv)stating whether the applicant is aware of any other proceedings before the court concerning the same determination of the Copyright Claims Board.

(c)Challenges to the Determination.—

(1)Bases for challenge.—

Not later than 90 days after the date on which the Copyright Claims Board issues a final or amended final determination in a proceeding, or not later than 90 days after the date on which the Register of Copyrights completes any process of reconsideration or review of the determination, whichever occurs later, a party may seek an order from a district court of the United States vacating, modifying, or correcting the determination of the Copyright Claims Board in the following cases:

(A)If the determination was issued as a result of fraud, corruption, misrepresentation, or other misconduct.

(B)If the Copyright Claims Board exceeded its authority or failed to render a final determination concerning the subject matter at issue.

(C)In the case of a default determination or determination based on a failure to prosecute, if it is established that the default or failure was due to excusable neglect.

(2)Procedure to challenge.—

(A)Notice of application.—

Notice of the application to challenge a determination of the Copyright Claims Board shall be provided to all parties to the proceeding before the Copyright Claims Board, in accordance with the procedures applicable to service of a motion in the court where the application is made.

(B)Staying of proceedings.—

For purposes of an application under this subsection, any judge who is authorized to issue an order to stay the proceedings in another action brought in the same court may issue an order, to be served with the notice of application, staying proceedings to enforce the award while the challenge is pending.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

17 U.S.C. § 1508

Title 17, Copyrights

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110