Contact: Joan Doherty (202) 707-6800
September 26, 1995
Librarian Honors Former Register Copyrights Barbara Ringer
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington will honor former Register of Copyrights Barbara Ringer and 20 members of the Advisory Committee on Copyright Registration and Deposit, known as ACCORD, at a gala luncheon in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress on September 29, 1995.
Barbara Ringer will receive the Library's Distinguished Service Award for her lifetime contributions to the field of copyright, both nationally and intentionally, and for her contributions to the Library of Congress over a period of 40 years. Ms. Ringer joined the staff of the Copyright Office in 1949 and served as Register of Copyrights from 1973 to 1980. She played a critical role in the 20-year program leading to the revision of the U.S. copyright law in 1976 as well as its implementation. In addition, she was instrumental in the establishment of the Rome Convention of 1961, an international treaty for the protection of performers, broadcasters, and record producers, and the 1971 revisions of the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention. In 1993, Ms. Ringer returned to the Library to co-chair and administer the Librarian's ACCORD committee and was the major drafter of the committee's final report. She served as Acting Register of Copyrights from December 1993 to August 1994 during a difficult time. Throughout her distinguished career, Ms. Ringer has been known for her brilliance as a drafter of legislation, her authorship of works on copyright, and her ability to harmonize divergent points of view.
Ms. Ringer's fellow members of ACCORD, a distinguished group of lawyers, scholars, publishers, authors, and administrators, will also be honored for their service advising the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office on improvements to the registration and deposit system in light of the proposed Copyright Reform Act of 1993. The group was given the task of assuring that creators and copyright owners were protected by law while also ensuring that the works resulting from their labors were acquired and preserved by the Library. Their report contained a number of exceedingly helpful suggestions to make the registration and deposit systems stronger to the benefit of both the creative community and the American public.
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