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Archive of all 186 Posts

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 …

New Supplementary Registration Rule Goes into Effect Today

Posted by: Alison Hall

The following is a guest post by Alexandra El-Bayeh, registration specialist in the Office of Registration Policy & Practice. The Copyright Office’s new rule requiring applicants to file supplementary registrations online goes into effect today. On June 15, 2017, the Office published the final rule after receiving comments from the public. What is a supplementary …

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter

Library of Awesome—Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, and Copyright

Posted by: Alison Hall

Wonder Woman was—and still is—a hero to many young girls. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to twirl in circles and turn into a super hero? On top of that, she had the invisible plane, magic belt, bullet-stopping bracelets, the lasso of truth, and that awesome tiara. So when I found out Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden …

rulemaking text and computer screen showing online form

The Copyright Office is on a Rulemaking Roll

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Sarang Damle, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights. Those of you who subscribe to our NewsNet service may have noticed that, over the past year, the Copyright Office has gone on a rulemaking tear. Under the leadership of Acting Register of Copyrights Karyn Temple Claggett, my incredible …