Test 3 (9-12) Flashcards
Copyright Office
Copyright protection NO LONGER holds requirements- copyright registration, deposit, and notice
(Registration and notice are optional)
1870
- copyright ownership were recorded by clerks of the US District Courts
- library of Congress now has the responsibility of handling copyright registrations
1879
the US Copyright Office was formed as a department of the Library of Congress
-also deals with wills, mortgages, assignments, and security interests
The office
- Advises Congress on anticipated changes in the US copyright law and compliance with international treaties
- Analyzes and assists in drafting copyright legislation
- Conducts studies for Congress on copyright matters
- Provides assistance to foreign countries in developing their CL
Section 701(a)
person responsible for the overall direction of the Copyright Office is the Register of Copyrights, appointed by Library of Congress
Divisions of Copyright Office
- Receipt Analysis and Control Division
- Registration Program
- Information and Records Division
- Licensing Division
- Copyright Acquisitions Division
Receipt Analysis and Control
responsible for receiving materials such as registration applications and transfer documents for recordation.
Registration Program
Consists of 3 divisions- Literary, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts- examines registration and renewal applications and any accompanying materials such as deposit copies
Information and Records Division
responsible for educating the office staff and public-prepares search reports upon request- prepares certifications-processes recordation of transfer documents
Licensing Division
responsible for carrying out compulsory license provisions of the copyright act such as the compulsory license for making and distributing
Copyright Acquisitions Division
administers the mandatory deposit provisions and issues demands for published works that have not been deposited
Copyright Office Records
The Copyright Card Catalog consists of over 40 million individual cards (1870-1977)
1978-present
Prior to 1978- located in the reading room
Also can search the Assignment and Related Documents Index
What is copyright registration?
You DO NOT have to register the work in order to own a copyright to a work.
Section 408 of the CA provides for an optional registration system.
Just because someone registers, as the owner doesn’t mean they are
Why should I register?
Cheap form of insurance
- Registration creates a public record of your claim of copyright ownership
- Registration provides what is legally known as prima facie (at first sight) evidence of ownership
- Registration gives the copyright owner the ability to file suit
- Early registration entitles the copyright owner to attorney’s fees and statutory damages
- Registration allows copyright owners to collect mechanical license royalties
- Registration allows copyright owners to block importation of illegal copies
Who can register?
Anyone who owns all or part of the exclusive rights to a copyrighted work
Any of the work’s authors
Any party that acquires ownership of any of the exclusive rights
ONLY one registration is needed to protect all owners
Why should I register?
A work can be registered at any time during its term of copyright
Register within 3 months after the works publication in order to receive statutory damages and attorney’s fees
Fee- $35-$65
How to register?
File an application with the Electronic Copyright Office online system
Submit a paper application form to the CLO
App must include:
-A completed app form
-Submission of deposit
-App fee
ECO
Fastest-least expensive 80% are processed this way Processing time-3 months Paper- 11 months Only $35
Form CO
Fill-in form 2-D barcode scanning CANNOT be used for group registrations Complete online and print Cannot be saved and reused
Paper Forms
TX, VA, SR, PA, SE
Some works can ONLY be registered this way
$65
PA- performing arts, prepared to be performed directly in front of an audience-musical works, dramatic works, choreographic works, motion pictures, audiovisual works
SR- sound recordings- on or after February 15, 1972- before this are not protected
Does NOT protect any musical, literary, or dramatic works on the recording
TX- nondramatic musical works-written works, song lyrics
VA- works of the visual arts-pictorial, graphic, sculpture, and album cover
Short forms-only
used if there is ONLY one author and owner of the work, the work is not a work made for hire, the work is completely new, form is signed by the works author
Forms
-can be obtained at the CLO by phone, mail, or online
-Lies on an app form is subject to a fine of $2500
-Work has more than 3 authors use Continuation Sheet
-Authors DOB is not required, but the date of death is, unless anonymous
Nationality or domicile is MANDATORY
-App MUST be signed by any of these people:
-Author, copyright claimant other than an author, owner of exclusive rights, authorized agent
-Check payable to Register of Copyrights
Creation Date
Year in which the work was first fixed in tangible form
Limitation of Claim
If any part of the work has been registered
Expedite
5 days- only if registration is needed for litigation, to meet a contractual or publishing deadline, or some other urgent reason
$760 plus app fee
CLO
does NOT resolve disputes over ownership of work-response within 6 months
Date of registration
the date when CLO receives all the required materials
Request for correction
within 120 days- failure to sign, failure to enclose, failure to provide, failure to adequately describe the authorship of work, checking work for hire box, failure to specify how ownership was transferred, failure to describe new material in derivative
Denying Registration
Rarely happens, will grant registration even if CLO has reasonable doubt of the copyright ability of the work
When can you correct or supplement info in a previous registration?
using Form CA
Change of address, claimants name, and title of work, author or claimant omitted from original
-NO valid alternatives to registration
Myth of the poor mans copyright
Involves putting a copy or phonorecord of your work in an envelope, sealing it, and sending it to yourself by certified mail- proving that you created the work no later than the date of the postmark stamped on the envelope
NOT a substitute for reg.
Songwriter’s Guild of America
Allow authors to register their claims to copyright ownership with the organization
Pre-registration
MUST take place within 1 month after the copyright owner learns of an infringement and no later than 3 months after publication
-Instituted pursuant to the Artist’s Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2005
What’s preregistration for?
motion pictures, sounds recordings, musical compositions, literary works, and computer programs, advertising and marketing
Work must NOT have been commercially released
Deposit
- NOT complete until giving the -CLO a copy of the work to be registered – a “deposit”
- Deposit is only mandatory in the US
- NOT applicable for unpublished works
- Deposit requirement MANDATORY- but no consequences if you do not
What must be deposited?
A deposit must mountain 2 copies or phonorecords of the best edition of the work
-Sound recordings must also include a text or pictorial
Best edition of work
the edition published in the US at any time before the date of deposit that the library of congress determines most suitable
Exemptions
Works that are published in the US but are published in electronic form only, are available only online, and are not available in physical form
Serials
Newspapers and periodicals
Copyright Notice
A way of informing people that a work is protected by copyright and who owns it
- Notice was omitted or improperly placed on a work-automatically entered public domain
- Foreign countries DO NOT require copyright notice