The following is a guest post by Annette James, Program Specialist in the U.S. Copyright Office’s Public Information and Education Division.
Coming this month, we will launch an update of our website, copyright.gov, and its navigation to better serve the public and our staff.
When we last updated the website, our goal was to make it more user-focused, organized, responsive, and easy to navigate. Based on initial feedback, we accomplished that. However, over time, we added new pages, new capabilities, and additional content to existing pages that made the website less user-friendly.
For this update, we surveyed users and gathered feedback. We also used analytics to understand how people from inside and outside the office were using the pages. That helped us identified which pages people did – and did not — frequently visit. We also learned how people performed specified tasks, giving us insight into how both copyright experts and novices interact with the website.
Altogether, we will soon have a dynamic website with a more streamlined homepage that focuses on the pages people use the most. If those patterns change over time, we will change what we highlight. Furthermore, because people told us they had a hard time finding some items, we improved our search and navigation capabilities so it will be easier to locate the pages you need.
There are a few things to keep in mind when we first transition to the new layout. First, all of our current pages will still be available. If you visited or bookmarked a page before the change, you will still have access to it after the change. Second, we are only migrating our primary and secondary pages at first. Over time, however, we’ll update the remaining pages so that eventually every page will have the same look and feel.
We are excited about this update and how it will make it easier for you to find the copyright information you need. If you would like to know as soon the new website design goes live, subscribe to our NewsNet service to get the announcement.
Comments (13)
THIS IS WONDERFUL THAT A NEW NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS BEING PUT IN PLACE, BUT SADLY A FRIEND DIED BEFORE HE COULD GET HIS COPYRIGHT APPROVED BY THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE DUE TO THE VIRUS SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE APPROVAL TIME TO GET A COPYRIGHT CERTIFICATE MANY COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT CASES HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE OF THE VERY SLOW TURN AROUND TIMES AND DELAYS ITS 2021 IT THINK THE OPYRIGHT OFFICE CAN DO BETTER, NO MORE NAIL MAIL
Will you be changing the electronic copyright application?
No. This website update will not change any applications.
With the upgraded website, will the public be able to view deposit copies for registered works? That is something that many people, including copyright holders and attorneys, have been asking for for years. We should also be able to search Copyright Office records to find certain types of registered textile and apparel designs, similar to how we can search Trademark Office records by design codes. Currently it is not possible to see what designs are registered and it takes a very long time to get a particular deposit copy even on an expedited basis, which is also expensive.
This update to the website addresses the look of the pages and the navigation. It will not change the way you access deposit copies.
I was at the webinar revealing the new website, and it looks great!
When will the update launch?
It should launch this month.
Thank you! for making digital content copyrightable.With the ever growing streaming platforms and social networks technology is moving much faster than our regulation processes. While I think big Gov should go back to being the ultimate regulatory body of our country, other agencies such as the LOC should be both standardized and tech savvy.
Creatives like myself need swift changes at times especially where technologies set new precedents are concerned.
So, Thanks again.
vj
Is this why the database is unavailable? I’ve been trying to search for a copyright record, and the site is unavailable.
No. That was a separate technical issue that had nothing to do with the upcoming website update. It has since been fixed.
Will copies of copyright recordations be available once this new system is operational?
The website update will not change current Copyright Office service. It only affects the look and navigation of our pages.