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]
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].
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/ 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.
