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Category: Copyright

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 …

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 …

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 …

pianola

Copyright Law and New Technologies: A Long and Complex Relationship

Posted by: George Thuronyi

The following is a guest post by Brad Greenberg, counsel in the U.S. Copyright Office, Office of Policy and International Affairs. Copyright law and new technologies have a long history, arguably dating back to the Gutenberg Press in the 15th century—more than 200 years before passage of the matriarch of copyright statutes, Britain’s Statute of …

Gloria Gaynor

I Will Survive

Posted by: George Thuronyi

As a teenager during the 1970s, I put on my bell-bottom pants and shiny shirt to groove to the latest disco hits. I was not alone. Disco culture was highly popular and spawned a vast array of music, dance, and fashion. The records of the U.S. Copyright Office show many thousands of registrations for the …