US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

50 U.S.C. § 4339

Claims for proceeds from sale of certain certificates: jurisdiction, limitations; divestment of copyrights: “copyrights” defined, rights of licensees and assignees, reproduction rights of United States, transfer of interests, payment of royalties to Attorney General, suits for infringement

(a)

Jurisdiction

Notwithstanding any statute of limitation, lapse of time, any prior decision by any court of the United States, or any compromise, release or assignment to the Alien Property Custodian, jurisdiction is hereby conferred upon the United States Court of Federal Claims to hear, determine, and render judgment upon the claims against the United States for the proceeds received by the United States from the sale of the property vested under the provisions of this chapter by vesting order numbered 33 relating to certificate numbers 104 to 121, inclusive, 125, 126, 128 to 134, inclusive, and 137 to 139, inclusive. Proceedings with respect to such claims may be instituted hereunder not later than two years after .

(b)

“Copyrights” defined

As used in this section the word “copyrights” includes copyrights, claims of copyrights, rights to copyrights, and rights to copyright renewals.

(c)

Divestment of copyrights; limitations; transfer of remaining rights and interests

All copyrights vested in the Alien Property Custodian or the Attorney General under the provisions of this chapter subsequent to , which have not been returned or otherwise disposed of under this chapter, except copyrights vested by vesting orders 128 (7 F.R. 7578), 13111 (14 F.R. 1730), 14349 (15 F.R. 1575), 17366 (16 F.R. 2483), and 17952 (16 F.R. 6162) and copyrights vested with respect to the motion picture listed last in exhibit A of vesting order 11803, as amended (13 F.R. 5167, 15 F.R. 1626), are hereby divested as a matter of grace, effective the ninety-first day after , and the persons entitled thereto shall on that day succeed to the rights, privileges, and obligations arising out of such copyrights, subject, however, to—
(1)
the rights of licensees under licenses issued by the Alien Property Custodian or the Attorney General in respect of such copyrights;
(2)
the rights of assignees under assignments by the Alien Property Custodian or the Attorney General of interests in such licenses; and
(3)
the right retained by the United States to reproduce, for its own use, or exhibit any divested copyrighted motion picture films.
ProvidedThe rights and interests remaining in the Attorney General under licenses issued by him or by the Alien Property Custodian in respect to copyrights divested hereunder are hereby transferred, effective the day of divestment, to the persons entitled to such copyrights: , That all unpaid royalties or other income accrued in favor of the Attorney General under such licenses prior to the day of divestment shall be paid by the licensees to the Attorney General.
(d)

Rights or interests arising out of prevesting contracts

All rights or interests vested in the Alien Property Custodian or the Attorney General under the provisions of this chapter subsequent to , arising out of prevesting contracts entered into with respect to copyrights, except—
(1)
royalties or other income received by or accrued in favor of the Alien Property Custodian or the Attorney General under such contracts;
(2)
rights or interests which have been returned or otherwise disposed of under this chapter; and
(3)
rights or interests vested by vesting orders 128 (7 F.R. 7578), 13111 (14 F.R. 1730), 14349 (15 F.R. 1575), and 17366 (16 F.R. 2483),
are hereby divested as a matter of grace, effective the ninety-first day after , and the persons entitled to such rights or interests shall succeed thereto, subject to the right of the Attorney General to collect and receive all unpaid royalties or other income accrued in his favor under such prevesting contracts prior to the day of divestment.
(e)

Suits for infringement

Nothing in this section shall be construed to transfer to a person entitled to a copyright divested hereunder the right of the Attorney General to sue for the infringement of such copyright during the period between (1) the vesting thereof or the vesting of rights and interests in a contract entered into with respect thereto, and (2) the day of divestment. The right to sue for infringement shall remain in the Attorney General.

Oct. 6, 1917, ch. 106, § 41Pub. L. 87–846, title II, § 20676 Stat. 1115Pub. L. 88–49078 Stat. 607Pub. L. 97–164, title I, § 161(9)96 Stat. 49Pub. L. 102–572, title IX, § 902(b)(1)106 Stat. 4516(, as added , , ; amended , , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act Oct. 6, 1917, ch. 10640 Stat. 411section 4301 of this titleThis chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a), (c), and (d), was in the original “this Act” or “the Trading With the Enemy Act”, meaning , , also known as the Trading with the enemy Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see and Tables.

Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 42 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

Pub. L. 102–5721992—Subsec. (a). substituted “United States Court of Federal Claims” for “United States Claims Court”.

Pub. L. 97–1641982—Subsec. (a). substituted “Claims Court” for “Court of Claims”.

Pub. L. 88–4901964—Subsec. (a). substituted “render judgment upon” for “report to the Congress concerning” and “two years after ” for “one year after the date of the enactment of this Act”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1992 Amendment

Pub. L. 102–572section 911 of Pub. L. 102–572section 171 of Title 28Amendment by effective , see , set out as a note under , Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Effective Date of 1982 Amendment

Pub. L. 97–164section 402 of Pub. L. 97–164section 171 of Title 28Amendment by effective , see , set out as a note under , Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

61 Stat. 951Functions vested by law in Alien Property Custodian and Office of Alien Property Custodian transferred to Attorney General by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1947, § 101, eff. , 12 F.R. 4534, , set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.