Judge Suzanne Barnett was enjoying her retirement in October 2021 when she got a call from the Library of Congress.
Chief Judge Jesse Feder at the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which determines rates and terms for copyright statutory licences, had announced his plans to step down and the library needed someone to fill his shoes until a replacement could be found.
The library’s leaders thought it would be difficult for someone unfamiliar with the board’s proceedings to step in because its calendar was full.
Barnett, 73, who served as chief copyright royalty judge from 2012 until 2019, took the role as interim chief judge.
Barnett stayed on to help the CRB in its time of need, ruling on important copyright royalty matters, until the International Trade Commission’s David Shaw joined last July.
