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Archive: 2017 (13 Posts)

It's a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Samantha Kosarzycki, legal intern, Office of Public Information and Education. It just wouldn’t feel like the holidays in our house without the annual showing of It’s a Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, Scrooged, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Out of all the heartwarming holiday classics, I always considered It’s …

Screenshot of single application

Single Application Updated

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Whitney Levandusky, attorney-adviser, Office of Public Information and Education. Greetings, copyright applicants! When you visit the U.S. Copyright Office’s online registration on December 18, you may notice a few differences.  We’re updating our software! I’m here to talk about the Single Application.  It’s a simplified registration method that …

DMCA search screen

DMCA Agent Re-Registration Deadline is December 31, 2017

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Jason Sloan, attorney-advisor. The December 31 deadline is soon approaching for online service providers to re-register their previous DMCA agent designations with the U.S. Copyright Office. What’s this all about? Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), certain kinds of online service providers—for example, those that allow users …

group of 5 people

Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions in the International Arena

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Aurelia J. Schultz, counsel for policy and international affairs. At its annual meeting in Geneva in October, the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) discussed the future work of the Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore—called the IGC for short.  The IGC’s …

Calendar showing Oct 26, 1939, and October 26, 2017

Notice of Termination Deadline, Oct. 26

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Erik Bertin, deputy director of registration policy and practice. Today is an important milestone in U.S. copyright law.  It is the last possible day for serving a notice of termination under section 304(d) of the Copyright Act, which governs some older works. Authors or their heirs may use …

Gold foil seal of stylized eagle surrounded by a large letter

Working in the International Arena: The Special 301 Process

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Emily Lanza, Counsel for Policy & International Affairs. Staff attorneys in the Office of Policy and International Affairs (PIA) here at the U.S. Copyright Office often work with our colleagues in other agencies, providing expert advice on domestic and international copyright issues. Since the Copyright Office was created …

two informational circulars with different designs

New Circulars Launched

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Whitney Levandusky, attorney-adviser, Office of Public Information and Education. On September 21, the Copyright Office released a fresh batch of circulars. Circulars are publications intended to provide a general audience with up-to-date and authoritative copyright information. They have been used by the Office since the late 1800s, and …