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Category: music

Background looks like a brown wooden table. On it, are two beige parchments showing early Copyright laws. On the right are two photographs with white frames around them. One is black and white and shows people working in a file room. The other is a color photograph of an aerial view of the Jefferson and Madison buildings on Capitol Hill

New Learning Engine Video Highlights the History of Copyright

Posted by: Nora Scheland

This blog post introduces the U.S. Copyright Office’s newest Learning Engine video, “History of Copyright,” which chronicles the history of copyright and the Copyright Office. The Office has released the video, and this blog post, timed with the 234th anniversary of the Congressional bill that eventually became the first federal copyright law.

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Over One Million Card Catalog Records Digitized in Copyright Public Records System Pilot

Posted by: Nora Scheland

This summer, the Copyright Office reached a new milestone in our modernization efforts: one million card catalog records have been digitized with searchable metadata and added to the Office’s Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot. Learn more about CPRS, the Office’s digitization efforts, and historical registration application cards in this blog post.

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Checking in with the Copyright Claims Board Nearly Eighteen Months After Opening Day

Posted by: Nora Scheland

As we approach the eighteen-month mark for the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), we revisit a conversation with the CCB's three Copyright Claims Officers, David Carson, Monica McCabe, and Brad Newberg, from the one-year anniversary and share updated statistics about the Board's work between June 2022 and October 2023.

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Our Summer of Artificial Intelligence: Copyright Office Hosts Two Webinars on Copyright and AI

Posted by: Nora Scheland

In June and July 2023, the Copyright Office hosted two public virtual webinars on the use of artificial intelligence technologies to generate works in creative fields. This blog post provides a brief recap of and links to the webinars, which focused on copyright registration guidance for AI-generated works and perspectives on how AI impacts copyright systems across the globe.

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#ICYMI: The Copyright Office Hears from Stakeholders on Important Issues with AI and Copyright

Posted by: Nora Scheland

In April and May 2023, the Copyright Office hosted four public, virtual listening sessions on the use of artificial intelligence to generates works in creative fields. The listening sessions focused on four different categories of works: literary works, including print journalism and software; visual arts; audiovisual works, including video games; and music and sound recordings. This blog post provides a brief recap of the four listening sessions.

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Copyright Deposit Requirements May Be Easier Than You Think

Posted by: Nora Scheland

The best edition physical deposit requirement for copyright registration has long been a key part of U.S. copyright law, but in recent years, the U.S. Copyright Office has worked to clarify and simplify some of the deposit requirements. This blog post outlines some of the recent changes and where to find more information.

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What’s in a Name: Using Pseudonyms When Registering Works with the Copyright Office

Posted by: Nora Scheland

The following is a guest post by Jessica Chinnadurai, a registration specialist at the U.S. Copyright Office. My first name, Jessica, was the most popular baby girl name in the 1990s. My last name, Chinnadurai, is a unique surname with origins in southern India. The dichotomy has resulted in me being fascinated by names. We …

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What will the Implementation of the CASE Act mean for me? An Update on the Copyright Claims Board and Launch of ccb.gov

Posted by: Nora Scheland

The Copyright Office has announced the launch of a new website, ccb.gov, where businesses, creators, and users will be able to learn about the new Copyright Claims Board and how to file, opt out, or respond to claims when it opens later this year. Read on to find out what the Copyright Claims Board and ccb.gov will mean for you.

Get to Know the Territory: Musicals Based on Public Domain Works

Posted by: Nora Scheland

Do you hear the people sing, singing the songs inspired by the public domain? Broadways musicals have a long tradition of pulling inspiration from the plays, short stories, operas, and more in the public domain. Let's take a look at five musicals and what inspired them.