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GENERAL INFORMATION

Under the provisions of the 1976 Copyright Act (title 17 of the

United States Code), the Copyright Office maintains records

of and indexes to deposits, registrations, recordations, and

other items related to copyright registration. In accordance with

sections 705 and 706 of the copyright code, records and indexes are open to public inspection. In addition, copies may

be made of public records or indexes. Under conditions prescribed by regulation, copies or reproductions may be made

of deposited articles retained under the control of the Copyright Office. The Copyright Office provides various fee-based

services to assist with searches to locate and copy the proper

material. Certified copies of certain records are available for

an additional fee.

However, you may search certain records for yourself.

Copies of some public records may be made on coinoperated photocopying machines in the Copyright Office.

FEE-BASED SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE

COPYRIGHT OFFICE

Requests for inspection and for certified or uncertified copies of Copyright Office records or deposits, other than records

of the Licensing Division, should be made to the Certifications

and Documents Section located on the 4th floor of the James

Madison Memorial Building on Independence Avenue between First and Second Streets, S.E., in Washington, D.C.

Copies or reproductions of copyright deposits may be made

only by staff members of the Copyright Office or by staff

members of the Library of Congress.

The fee schedule for these services appears on page 3.

The Certifications and Documents Section is open to the

public between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

Mail, fax, or call in requests for copies of records or deposits or requests to inspect copies of records or deposits to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office

Certifications and Documents Section, LM-402

101 Independence Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

Tel: (202) 707-6787

Fax: (202) 252-3519

Please provide your daytime phone number.

Circular 6 United States Copyright Office

Obtaining Access to and Copies of

Copyright Office Records and Deposits

Copies of Certain Public Records Other Than Deposits

Upon request the Copyright Office will prepare certified or

uncertified copies of certain public records, except deposits. It is

very important that the records be clearly identified to minimize

the time required for searches by the Copyright Office staff. These

searches require a search fee in addition to the certification fee

and the fee for copying. However, if you can provide the assignment volume and page number, there is no search fee.

Photocopies of the following records may be obtained:

• affidavits

• numbered applications

• assignments

• contracts

• licenses

• other documents pertaining to a copyright that have

been recorded in the Copyright Office

Written requests for copies of Copyright Office records

should:

1. Clearly identify the type of records you wish to obtain (for

example, additional certificates of registration, copies of correspondence, copies of assignments);

2. Specify whether you require certified or uncertified copies;

3. Clearly identify the specific records to be copied. Your request should include the following specific information, if

possible:

(a) the type of work involved (for example, novel, lyrics,

photograph);

(b) the registration number, including the letters representing the class in which the work was registered (for example, TX000-000, A000);

(c) the year or approximate year of registration (for example, 1985);

(d) the complete title of the work;

(e) the author(s), including any pseudonym by which the

author may be known;

(f) the claimant(s); and

(g) if you request a copy of an assignment, license, contract, or other recorded document, the volume and page

number of the Copyright Office record where information on the recorded document can be found.

4. Comply with any special requirements that are outlined below for obtaining copies of certain types of documents;

5. Include the fee if the copy requested is an additional certificate of registration. The Certifications and Documents
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* See NOTE on page 4.

Section will review requests for copies of other items and

quote fees for each;

6. Include your daytime telephone number, address, and fax

number so a Copyright Office staff member can contact you.

If the year of registration and the title of the work are not

provided, a search of the Copyright Office records may be

required for purposes of verification. There is a fee of $80 per

hour or fraction thereof for this service.*

Additional Certificates of Registration

Copyright registration makes a public record of the basic

facts of a particular copyright. The owner of the copyright in

an original work of authorship or the owner’s agent may register a claim to copyright by sending together in the same

package the application, fee, and deposit of the work as specified in the copyright law. (Request Circular 1, “Copyright Basics,” for information on registration procedures.) After the

claim to copyright has been examined and the Copyright Office has determined that the claim should be registered, the

Copyright Office will send the owner of the copyright a certificate of registration under the seal of the Copyright Office. If

the registration of a work was made before or within 5 years

after first publication of the work, the certificate of registration

will serve as prima facie evidence of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.

Anyone may request additional certificates of copyright

registration by writing to the Copyright Office. The additional

certificate has the same legal or evidentiary effect as the original certificate. Although the additional certificate does

not include the ribbon and blue backing of the original certificate, it contains the seal and signature of the Register of

Copyrights and needs no further certification.

Your request for an additional certificate should include:

1. The title of the copyrighted work

2. The registration number. If you don't know the registration

number, request a search for the number prior to requesting an additional certificate. The Reference and Bibliography Section conducts searches at a cost of $75 per hour,

or fraction thereof.* Contact the Reference and Bibliography Section at (202) 707-6850 for further information.

3. The year of registration or publication

4. Any other information needed to identify the registration, and

5. The fee of $30 in the form of a check or money order payable to Register of Copyrights*

Certification of Copies

When the Copyright Office certifies a copy of one of its

records, it attaches a statement under the seal of the Copyright Office attesting that the document is a true copy of the

record in question. Certified copies are frequently requested

as evidence of the authenticity of documents when litigation

is involved. The cost of certification is in addition to any applicable fees such as search fees or photoduplication fees.

Copies of Deposits

All requests for copies of deposits should be submitted

to the Certifications and Documents Section. Please be aware

that the Copyright Office does not retain all works deposited

for copyright registration. If the works are available, the Copyright Office will provide certified or uncertified copies of published or unpublished works deposited in connection with a

copyright registration and held in the Office’s custody only

when one of the following three conditions has been met:

1. Written authorization is received from the copyright claimant of record or his or her designated agent, or from the

owner of any of the exclusive rights in the copyright, as long

as this ownership can be demonstrated by written documentation of the transfer of ownership.

If the transfer of the copyright is recorded in the Copyright Office, please include, if possible, the assignment volume, page number, and approximate year. Without that information, a search of the Copyright Office files will be

necessary, and a search fee will be required.

2. The Copyright Office Litigation Statement Form is completed

and received from an attorney or authorized representative

in connection with litigation, actual or prospective, involving

the copyrighted work. The following information must be included in such a request: a) the names of all parties involved

and the nature of the controversy, and b) the name of the

court in which the actual case is pending. In the case of a

prospective proceeding, the requestor must give full statement of the facts of controversy in which the copyrighted work

is involved, attach any letter or other document that supports

the claim that litigation may be instituted, and make satisfactory assurance that the requested reproduction will be used

only in connection with the specified litigation.

Contact the Certifications and Documents Section for a

Litigation Statement Form. This form must be used. No substitute will be permitted. The form must contain an original

signature and all information requested for the Copyright Office to process a request.

3. A court order is issued for a reproduction of a deposited

article, facsimile, or identifying portion of a work that is the

subject of litigation in its jurisdiction. The order must be issued by a court having jurisdiction over a case in which the

copy is to be submitted as evidence.

A request for copies of works deposited in connection

with a copyright claim should be accompanied by whatever

material is necessary to show that one of the three conditions given above has been met.
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* See NOTE on page 4.

Kinds of Copies of Deposited Works

When you order a copy of the work deposited in connection

with a copyright claim, the Certifications and Documents Section will supply a reproduction of one of the following, depending upon the actual deposit:

1. The deposited work or

2. Any identifying material submitted in lieu of the original

work or

3. A reproduction of any facsimile that the Copyright Office is

required by law to retain when the deposited article has

been transferred to the Library of Congress

In the case of requests for reproduction of deposited works

not retained under the control of the Copyright Office, the Office will write to you and inform you whom to contact. When

certification of these reproductions is requested or required, the

special collection areas of the Library of Congress will provide

a statement attesting to the fact that the reproduction being

provided was made from an article deposited for copyright

registration and transferred to the control of the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress may or may not retain in its

collections deposits transferred from the Copyright Office.

Copies of Phonorecords Deposited for

Copyright Registration

When a request is made for a reproduction of a phonorecord,

such as an audiotape, cassette, CD, or diskette, in which either a sound recording or the underlying musical, dramatic,

or literary work is embodied, the Copyright Office will provide

proximate reproduction. Due to the characteristics of available

sound reproduction, all frequencies contained in the original

phonorecord may not be reproduced.

The Copyright Office will provide the title and the

registration number of the phonorecord. In response to a

specific request, the Copyright Office will provide reproductions of any printed or other visually perceptible material deposited with the phonorecord.

Additional Searches and Records

The Certifications and Documents Section will also initiate inprocess searches as well as searches in the Correspondence

and Unfinished Business files of the Copyright Office for

material that may contain original letters from authors and

publishers, deposit copies (possibly unique examples) on

which no cataloging action has been undertaken, and similar information. Because some of these materials are not

readily retrievable, you should consult the Certifications and

Documents Section to determine the amount of time necessary to conduct the search.

Inspection of Copyright Office Records

Inspection of completed records and indexes relating to a

registration or a recorded document and inspection of copies or identifying material deposited in connection with a completed registration or rejection may be undertaken in the Certification and Documents Section. Since some of these materials are not stored on the immediate premises of the

Copyright Office, it is advisable to consult the Certifications

and Documents Section to determine the number of days necessary to retrieve the requested materials. Inspection hours

are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern

time, except federal holidays.

Expedited Services

The Certifications and Documents Section offers expedited

services with prior approval. Contact the section directly for

more information.

FEES

Fees are cumulative. Certification fees are in addition to any

other applicable fees such as search fees or photoduplication

fees. There is an additional charge of $80* for each hour or

fraction of an hour required to locate all Copyright Office

records, except where the requestor supplies the Copyright

Office with the registration number and year of registration.

Checks or money orders must be made payable to Register of Copyrights. Request Circular 5 for information on “How

to Open and Maintain a Deposit Account in the Copyright

Office.” Credit card payments are accepted by phone, fax, or

on a walk-in basis, but not by mail at this time.

Based on the information you furnish, the Copyright Office

will provide a free estimate of the total fee. All requests for fee

estimates should be addressed to the Certifications and

Documents Section.

Payments in excess of the statutory fee will be refunded,

but refunds of $50 or less will only be made upon request.

To cover administrative and processing costs, fees received

in conjunction with requests for additional certificates of registration will not be refunded even though the additional certificates cannot be provided, usually because no such registration exists.

ACCESSING AND COPYING COPYRIGHT OFFICE

RECORDS ON YOUR OWN

For information about doing research in the records of the

Copyright Office, request Circular 22, “How to Investigate the

Copyright Status of A Work,” and Circular 23, “The Copyright

Card Catalog and the Online Files of the Copyright Office.”

Public access to Copyright Office records in machine-readable form cataloged from Jan. 1, 1978, to the present, including registration information and recorded documents,

is available in the Copyright Office and over the Internet.
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These records include the following files: COHM, which contains all original and renewal registrations except serials;

COHD, which contains recorded documents including Notices

of Intent to Enforce (NIE) Under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act; and COHS, which contains serials (magazines,

periodicals, newspapers, etc.).

Two search methods for the Internet are available: an easyto-use web-based one, which is recommended for first-time

and occasional users, and another, for faster and more advanced searches, which requires the use of Telnet. Initial access for both is available via the Copyright Office website.

Both are unavailable 5:00 p.m. Saturday to 12:00 noon Sunday (U.S. eastern time). To access, visit:

World Wide Web: www.copyright.gov/records

or, for Telnet only: locis.loc.gov

If your online service provider does not support Telnet,

address your concerns directly to the provider.

The Copyright Card Catalog provides a 41-million card

index to copyright registrations in the United States from 1870

through 1977. It is open to public inspection in the Copyright

Office.

The Catalog of Copyright Entries, in effect the Copyright

Card Catalog in book form from July 1, 1891, through 1978

and microfiche format from 1979 through 1982, is available

in many libraries throughout the country.

The Catalog of Copyright Entries, the Copyright Card Catalog, and COHM, COHS, and COHD are indexes, not reproductions of original documents. To view or copy the original

documents yourself, you must visit the Copyright Office in the

Library of Congress.

Information such as registration numbers may be obtained

from these files. Providing this information yourself rather than

paying a fee to have the Copyright Office search for it

will reduce the cost of obtaining records and copies from the

Copyright Office.

* NOTE: Copyright Office fees are subject to change. For current fees, please check the Copyright Office website at

www.copyright.gov, write the Copyright Office, or call (202) 707-3000.

Fees effective as of July 1, 2002

Variable fee depending upon

format and size of item duplicated; no minimum charge.

Contact Certifications and

Documents Section for more

information: (202) 707-6787.

Variable fee depending upon

format and size of item duplicated; no minimum charge.

Contact Certifications and

Documents Section for more

information: (202) 707-6787.

1. Photoduplication

2. Reproduction of audio

and video cassettes,

compact discs (CDs),

and diskettes

3. Surcharge for Expedited

Certifications and

Documents Section

services

• additional certificates: $200.00 per hour or fraction thereof

• in-process searches: $200.00 per hour or fraction thereof

• in-process retrievals: $200.00 per hour, with 2-hr. minimum

• copy of assignment: $200.00 per hour or fraction thereof

• certification: $200.00 per hour or fraction thereof

• copy of deposit stored

 on- or off-site: $200.00 per hour or fraction thereof

 • copy of correspondence

 file stored in Madison

 Building or at an off-site

storage facility: $200.00 per hour or fraction thereof

4. Additional certificate of

registration $30.00

5. Certification of records $80.00 per hour or fraction thereof

for each certification (plus

any applicable photoduplication fees)

6. Search

• in-process search $80.00 per hr. or fraction thereof

for making reports from

official records

• in-process retrieval $100.00 for locating and retrieving

per hr. Copyright Office records.

There is a 2-hr. minimum

for in-process retrievals.

7. Inspection ——— No fee
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COPYRIGHT OFFICE RECORDS IN

THE LICENSING DIVISION

The Licensing Division of the Copyright Office maintains

records of transactions related to the secondary transmission

of copyrighted works on cable television systems and by satellite carriers for private home viewing; the making and distribution of phonorecords; the use of certain works in connection with noncommercial broadcasting; and public performance

of copyrighted music on jukeboxes from 1978-1989.

The records of the Licensing Division are open to public

inspection and searching during hours of public service, 8:30

a.m. to 5:00 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, in Room LM-458 on the 4th floor of the

James Madison Memorial Building. Inquiries about documents related to licensing should be addressed to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office

Licensing Division, LM-458

101 Independence Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20557-6400

Tel: (202) 707-8150

For further information about the Licensing Division,

request Circular 75, “The Licensing Division of the Copyright Office.”

Library of Congress • Copyright Office • 101 Independence Avenue, S.E. • Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

www.copyright.gov

July 2002—xxxx Web Rev: July 2002 E Printed on recycled paper U.S. Government Printing Office: 2002-xxxx

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Information via the Internet: Circulars, announcements,

regulations, other related materials, and all copyright application forms are available on the Copyright Office website

at www.copyright.gov.

Information by fax: Circulars and other information (but

not application forms) are available by using a touchtone

phone to access Fax-on-Demand at (202) 707-2600.

Information by telephone: For general information about

copyright, call the Copyright Public Information Office at

(202) 707-3000. The TTY number is (202) 707-6737. Information specialists are on duty from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,

eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. Or,

if you know which application forms and circulars you want,

request them 24 hours a day from the Forms and Publications Hotline at (202) 707-9100. Leave a recorded message.

Information by regular mail:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office

Publications Section, LM-455

101 Independence Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20559-6000