The following blog is authored by Ashley Tucker, with legal research by Jessica Chinnadurai and Laura Kaiser. Over the last several years on January 1, we have witnessed a new class of creative works entering the public domain in the United States. In 2026, a variety of works published in 1930, ranging from motion pictures to music …
By Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office As the year draws to a close, I am pleased to recognize an impressive slate of accomplishments at the U.S. Copyright Office. Despite some challenges, including a lengthy government shutdown, the Office continued to produce high-quality work and reliable service to the …
The Copyright Office has launched a modern, refreshed resource for young learners: the Copyright for Kids Activity Sheets. These activity sheets, designed for children under age twelve, teach copyright basics to users as they color, solve puzzles, play games, and create their own copyright-protected work. Upon completing the activity sheets, kids discover that they are both copyright users and owners.
The U.S. Copyright Office provides a wide range of resources to support creators, educators, and other copyright users, but some of the most valuable tools can fly under the radar. Here are five lesser-known Office resources that can help you better understand, register, and manage your creative works. 1. Copyright Registration Toolkit This year, the …
The U.S. Copyright Office recently released the Copyright Registration Toolkit: a highly visual guide that breaks down key steps and concepts to help creators navigate the copyright system. The toolkit was designed for authors, artists, musicians, and others as they manage their own creative works as well as for business and legal advisors who support …
This blog post is adapted from an article written by Copyright Office staff that was originally published in WIPO Magazine’s special edition on Music and IP, April 2025, a publication of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The capabilities of the latest generative AI technologies raise significant questions about the nature and scope of human …
Since its initial observation in the United States in 1976, Black History Month celebrates the achievements, contributions, culture, and history of African Americans. Every year, the Copyright Office highlights the impact of Black artists within the copyright system. In particular, copyright incentivizes the production of performing arts works, which are generally intended to be performed before an …
On January 29, 2025, the U.S. Copyright Office released Part 2 of its Report, Copyright and Artificial Intelligence. The Report addresses the legal and policy issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright, as outlined in the Office’s August 2023 notice of inquiry (NOI). Part 2: Copyrightability addresses the copyrightability of outputs created using generative …
Every year on January 1, a new class of creative works enters the public domain in the United States. This year, a variety of works published in 1929, ranging from motion pictures to music to books, joined others in the public domain. The public domain has important historical and cultural benefits in the lifecycle of copyright. Here we highlight a selection of works entering the public domain in 2025.
