Copyright Basics
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The US Copyright Office >> Copyright Basics
If a check received in payment of the filing fee is returned to the
Copyright Office as uncollectible, the Copyright Office will cancel the
registration and will notify the remitter.
The filing fee for processing an original, supplementary, or renewal
claim is nonrefundable, whether or not copyright registration is
ultimately made.
*Do not send cash*. The Copyright Office cannot assume any
responsibility for the loss of currency sent in payment of copyright
fees. For further information, request Circular 4 "Copyright Fees"
[http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ04.pdf].
*NOTE*: Copyright Office fees are subject to change. For current
fees, please check the Copyright Office Website at
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/, write the Copyright Office, or call
(202) 707-3000.
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SEARCH OF COPYRIGHT OFFICE RECORDS
The records of the Copyright Office are open for inspection and
searching by the public. Moreover, on request, the Copyright Office
will search its records for you at the statutory hourly rate of $65 for
each hour or fraction of an hour. (See NOTE above.) For information on
searching the Office records concerning the copyright status or
ownership of a work, request "How to Investigate the Copyright Status of
a Work" [http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ22.pdf], and "The
Copyright Card Catalog and the Online Files of the Copyright Office"
[http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ23.pdf].
Copyright Office records in machine-readable form cataloged from January
1, 1978, to the present, including registration and renewal information
and recorded documents, are now available for searching on the Internet.
These files may be examined through LOCIS (Library of Congress
Information System). You may connect to LOCIS through the World Wide Web
at [http://www.loc.gov/copyright/rb.html]
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
*Information via the Internet*: Circulars, announcements, regulations,
other related materials, and all copyright application forms are
available from the Copyright Office Website at
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/.
*Information by fax*: Circulars and other information (but not
application forms) are available from Fax-on-Demand at (202) 707-2600.
*Information by telephone*: For general information about copyright,
call the Copyright Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000. The TTY
number is (202) 707-6737. Information specialists are on duty from 8:30
a. m. to 5:00 p. m. Monday through Friday, eastern time, except federal
holidays. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. Or, if you
know which application forms and circulars you want, request them from
the Forms and Publications Hotline at (202) 707-9100 24 hours a day.
Leave a recorded message.
*Information by regular mail*: Write to:
Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Publications Section, LM-455
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
For a list of other material published by the Copyright Office, request
Circular 2 "Publications on Copyright"
[http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ02.pdf].
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The Copyright Office provides a free electronic mailing list, *NewsNet,*
that issues periodic email messages on the subject of copyright. The
messages alert subscribers to hearings, deadlines for comments, new and
proposed regulations, new publications, and other copyright-related
subjects of interest. NewsNet is not an interactive discussion group. To
subscribe, send a message to listserv@rs8.loc.gov. In the body of the
message say: SUBSCRIBE USCOPYRIGHT. You will receive a standard
welcoming message indicating that your subscription to *NewsNet* has
been accepted.
The Copyright Public Information Office is open to the public 8:30 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, eastern time, except federal
holidays. The office is located in the Library of Congress, James
Madison Memorial Building, Room 401, at 101 Independence Avenue, S.E.,
Washington, D.C., near the Capitol South Metro stop. Information
specialists are available to answer questions, provide circulars, and
accept applications for registration. Access for disabled individuals is
at the front door on Independence Avenue, S.E.
The Copyright Office is not permitted to give legal advice. If
information or guidance is needed on matters such as disputes over the
ownership of a copyright, suits against possible infringers, the
procedure for getting a work published, or the method of obtaining
royalty payments, it may be necessary to consult an attorney
Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, S. E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
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Rev: December 2000
*Format Note*:
This electronic version has been altered slightly from the original
printed text for presentation on the World Wide Web. For a copy of the
original circular, consult the Circular 1 pdf version
[http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ01.pdf], or write to Copyright
Office, 101 Independence Avenue S.E., Washington, D.C. 20559-6000.