Top of page

Archive: 2019 (20 Posts)

The Life of a New Registration Specialist

Posted by: Ashley Tucker

For a deeper dive into the Office’s recent efforts to successfully improve registration pendency times, as well as a historical look at registration, see the Office’s response to Congressional letters received on March 14 and April 3 regarding registration processing times.  I was very excited to be selected as one of the twenty-five examiners hired …

Copyrighting Leaves of Grass

Posted by: Alison Hall

Not only is the Library of Congress celebrating the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth all month, but May is also the anniversary of Leaves of Grass, one of Whitman’s best-known works. Walter Whitman (as he called himself then) registered his copyright for the first edition of Leaves of Grass on May 15, 1855, in …

Gold foil seal of stylized eagle surrounded by a large letter

Moving Forward with the Copyright Office

Posted by: Karyn A. Temple

It is an honor and pleasure to reintroduce myself to you as the United States Register of Copyrights. As the Supreme Court has said, copyright is intended to be the “engine of free expression.” The copyright system provides a critical framework to support creativity, culture, innovation and, yes, “free expression,” to the benefit of the …

Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices

Copyright Office Releases Public Draft of Update to Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Jalyce Mangum, attorney-advisor, Office of the General Counsel. Today, the Copyright Office releases a public draft of the latest update to the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices. As both a technical manual for the Office’s staff, as well as a guidebook for authors, copyright licensees, lawyers, scholars, …

U.S. Supreme Court

The Fourth Estate Decision and Copyright Registration

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Regan A. Smith, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights. Last week, the Supreme Court issued an important opinion regarding copyright registration. This blog discusses the decision, and some of the current (and future) options available for rights owners looking to register their copyright claims. What is the …