Copyright Office Spanish Language Program Broadens Access to Copyright Information

Una versión en español de esta entrada se puede encontrar aquí.

For more than 150 years, the U.S. Copyright Office has been a central component of the nation’s copyright system. Drawing on its core mission to “promote creativity and free expression . . . for the benefit of all,” the Office administers the nation’s copyright laws and provides impartial, expert advice on copyright law and policy. The Office provides that impartial, expert advice not only to Congress, the courts, and executive branch agencies but also, importantly, to the public.

In fact, a primary goal in the Office’s strategic plan is Copyright for All, and the Office is dedicated to making the copyright system as understandable and accessible to as many members of the public as possible, including individuals and small entities as well as historically underserved communities. Within the Copyright Office, the Office of Public Information and Education (PIE) develops a variety of educational resources and provides information to help creators and users of copyright-protected works utilize the copyright system and understand their rights. As part of this strategy, the Office observes National Hispanic Heritage Month, which pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.

A key initiative under the Copyright for All strategic goal is the expansion of the Office’s Spanish language program. Forty-two million people in the United States speak Spanish at home. To broaden access to the copyright system, the Office has made a range of materials accessible to the Spanish-speaking community.

Over the past two years, the Copyright Office has released more than forty translated resources for Spanish speakers, accessible through the Copyright in Spanish home page. Spanish speakers can find more than a dozen circulars discussing copyright concepts, such as copyright basics, copyright registration, and works not protected by copyright; Office practices and procedures; and information on registering various types of works with the Copyright Office, including musical compositions and sound recordings. Other Spanish publications include handouts on types of works protected by copyright: literary works, visual art works, photography, musical works, and sound recordings. Sixteen frequently-asked-questions webpages and a contact webpage round out the current portfolio of Spanish resources. Additionally, the Office has periodically published Spanish-language blog posts and social media posts celebrating diverse creators.

These Spanish resources join a wealth of English language materials in various formats, including additional circulars; the Engage Your Creativity webpages, which provide tailored information for creators of different disciplines; the Learning Engine video series; Copyright: Creativity at Work blog posts; the Find Yourself in Copyright exhibit; tutorials; and more. These resources help creators and users with all levels of copyright knowledge learn more about how to protect their creative intellectual property and responsibly use copyright-protected works.

In addition to our print and digital materials, the Copyright Office offers live assistance, including in Spanish. The Public Information Office (PIO) employs a team of bilingual copyright specialists, available to discuss copyright-related inquiries by phone, email, and in-person. PIO copyright specialists can answer questions about general copyright issues and specific Office practices. They can also provide walk-through services to assist applicants in navigating the registration process, such as selecting the appropriate application and using the online registration system. Office staff cannot provide legal advice, so if you have a specific legal question, the Office encourages you to check with an attorney.

This month, the Office released more circulars on various topics, including supplementary registration, works made for hire, derivative works, and registration for photographs and motion pictures. PIE is also planning for the development of additional Spanish resources in the coming years, ensuring the Spanish-speaking community will have the necessary resources to access and benefit from the copyright system.