(a) How made. The Copyright Royalty Judges shall determine the amount and terms of the Administrative Assessment in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(7). The Copyright Royalty Judges shall base their determination on their evaluation of the totality of the evidence before them, including oral testimony, written submissions, admitted exhibits, designated deposition testimony, the record associated with any motions and objections by participants, the arguments presented, and prior determinations and interpretations of the Copyright Royalty Judges (to the extent those prior determinations and interpretations are not inconsistent with a decision of the Register of Copyrights that was timely delivered to the Copyright Royalty Judges pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 802(f)(1)(A) or (B), or with a decision of the Register of Copyrights made pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 802(f)(1)(D), or with a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit).

(b) Timing. The Copyright Royalty Judges shall issue and cause their determination to be published in the Federal Register not later than one year after commencement of the proceeding under §355.2(a) or, in a proceeding commenced under §355.2(b), during June of the calendar year following the commencement of the proceeding.

(c) Effectiveness.

(1) The initial Administrative Assessment determined in the proceeding under §355.2(a) shall be effective as of the License Availability Date and shall continue in effect until the Copyright Royalty Judges determine or approve an adjusted Administrative Assessment under §355.2(b).

(2) Any adjusted Administrative Assessment determined in a proceeding under §355.2(b) shall take effect January 1 of the year following its publication in the Federal Register.

(d) Adoption of voluntary agreements. In lieu of reaching and publishing a determination, the Copyright Royalty Judges shall approve and adopt the amount and terms of an Administrative Assessment that has been negotiated and agreed to by the Mechanical Licensing Collective and the Digital Licensee Coordinator pursuant to §355.4. Notwithstanding the negotiation of an agreed Administrative Assessment, however, the Copyright Royalty Judges may, for good cause shown, reject an agreement. If the Copyright Royalty Judges reject a negotiated agreed Administrative Assessment, they shall proceed with adjudication in accordance with the schedule in place in the proceeding. Rejection by the Copyright Royalty Judges of a negotiated agreed Administrative Assessment shall not prejudice the parties' ability to continue to negotiate and submit to the Copyright Royalty Judges an alternate agreed Administrative Assessment or resubmit an amended prior negotiated agreement that addresses the Judges' reasons for initial rejection at any time, including during a hearing or after a hearing at any time before the Copyright Royalty Judges issue a determination.

(e) Continuing authority to amend. The Copyright Royalty Judges shall retain continuing authority to amend a determination of an Administrative Assessment to correct technical or clerical errors, or modify the terms of implementation, for good cause shown, with any amendment to be published in the Federal Register.


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