Original
Registration To register a work, send the following three
elements, in the same envelope or package, to:
Library of Congress
Copyright Office 101 Independence Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
1. A properly completed application form. 2. A nonrefundable filing fee of
$30 (effective through June 30, 2002) for each application.
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.
3. A nonreturnable deposit of the work being
registered. The deposit requirements vary in particular situations. The general
requirements follow:
1) If the work was first published in the
United States on or after January 1, 1978, two complete copies or phonorecords
of the best edition.
2) If the work was first published in the United
States before January1, 1978, two complete copies or phonorecords of the work
as first published.
3) If the work was first published outside the
United States, one complete copy or phonorecord of the work as first published.
4) If sending multiple works, all applications, deposits, and fees
should be sent in the same package. If possible, applications should be
attached to the appropriate deposit. Whenever possible, number each package (e.
g., 1 of 3, 2 of 4) to facilitate processing.
What Happens if
the Three Elements Are Not Received Together Applications and fees
received without appropriate copies, phonorecords, or identifying material will
not be processed and ordinarily will be returned. Unpublished deposits without
applications or fees ordinarily will be returned, also. In most cases,
published deposits received without applications and fees can be immediately
transferred to the collections of the Library of Congress. This practice is in
accordance with Title 17, Chap. 4, Sec. 408 of the law, which provides that the
published deposit required for the collections of the Library of Congress may
be used for registration only if the deposit is "accompanied by the prescribed
application and fee...."
After the deposit is received and transferred
to another service unit of the Library for its collections or other
disposition, it is no longer available to the Copyright Office. If you wish to
register the work, you must deposit additional copies or phonorecords with your
application and fee.
Renewal Registration To
register a renewal, send:
1. A properly completed application Form RE
and, if necessary, Form RE Addendum, and
2. A nonrefundable filing fee
of $45 without Addendum; $60 with Addendum for each application. (See Note
above.) Each Addendum form must be accompanied by a deposit representing the
work being reviewed. See Circular 15, "Renewal of Copyright."
NOTE:
Complete the application form using black ink pen or type. You may photocopy
blank application forms. However, photocopied forms submitted to the Copyright
Office must be clear, legible, on a good grade of 8-1/2 inch by 11-inch white
paper suitable for automatic feeding through a photocopier. The forms should be
printed, preferably in black ink, head-to-head so that when you turn the sheet
over, the top of page 2 is directly behind the top of page 1. Forms not meeting
these requirements may be returned resulting in delayed registration.
Special Deposit Requirements
Special deposit requirements exist
for many types of works. The following are prominent examples of exceptions to
the general deposit requirements:
1) If the work is a motion picture,
the deposit requirement is one complete copy of the unpublished or published
motion picture and a separate written description of its contents, such as a
continuity, press book, or synopsis.
2) If the work is a literary,
dramatic, or musical work published only in a phonorecord, the deposit
requirement is one complete phonorecord.
3) If the work is an
unpublished or published computer program, the deposit requirement is one
visually perceptible copy in source code of the first 25 and last 25 pages of
the program. For a program of fewer than 50 pages, the deposit is a copy of the
entire program. For more information on computer program registration,
including deposits for revised programs and provisions for trade secrets,
request "Copyright Registration for Computer Programs" [
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ61.pdf].
4)
If the work is in a CD-ROM format, the deposit requirement is one complete copy
of the material, that is, the CD-ROM, the operating software, and any manual(s)
accompanying it. If registration is sought for the computer program on the
CD-ROM, the deposit should also include a printout of the first 25 and last 25
pages of source code for the program.
5) In the case of works
reproduced in three-dimensional copies, identifying material such as
photographs or drawings is ordinarily required. Other examples of special
deposit requirements (but by no means an exhaustive list) include many works of
the visual arts such as greeting cards, toys, fabrics, oversized materials
(request "Deposit Requirements for Registration of Claims to Copyright in
Visual Arts Material" [
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ40a.pdf]); video
games and other machine-readable audiovisual works (request Circular 61 [
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ61.pdf]); automated
databases (request Circular 65 [
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ65.pdf] , "Copyright
Registration for Automated Databases"); and contributions to collective works.
For information about deposit requirements for group registration of serials,
request Circular 62 "Copyright Registration for Serials." [
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ62.pdf].
If
you are unsure of the deposit requirement for your work, write or call the
Copyright Office and describe the work you wish to register.
Unpublished Collections Under the following conditions, a
work may be registered in unpublished form as a "collection," with one
application form and one fee:
1) The elements of the collection are
assembled in an orderly form;
2) The combined elements bear a single
title identifying the collection as a whole;
3) The copyright claimant
in all the elements and in the collection as a whole is the same; and
4) All the elements are by the same author, or, if they are by different
authors, at least one of the authors has contributed copyrightable authorship
to each element. An unpublished collection is not indexed under the individual
titles of the contents but under the title of the collection.
NOTE: A
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number is different from a copyright
registration number. The Cataloging in Publication (CIP) Division of the
Library of Congress is responsible for assigning LC Catalog Card Numbers and is
operationally separate from the Copyright Office. A book may be registered in
or deposited with the Copyright Office but not necessarily cataloged and added
to the Library's collections. For information about obtaining an LC Catalog
Card Number, see the following homepage: [
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pcn]. For information on
International Standard Book Numbering (ISBN), write to: ISBN, R. R. Bowker, 121
Chanlon Road, New Providence, NJ 07974. Call (877) 310-7333. For further
information and to apply online, see [
http://www.bowker.com/standards/]. For information on
International Standard Serial Numbering (ISSN), write to: Library of Congress,
National Serials Data Program, Serial Record Division, Washington, D.C.
20540-4160. Call (202) 707-6452. Or obtain information from [
http://www.loc.gov/issn/].
