terial only, or by a written obligation to deposit
copies or phonorecords at a later date.’’; and
(B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘periodi-
cals, including newspapers’’ and all that follows
through the end of subparagraph (B) and in-
serting ‘‘collective works, including periodicals,
published within a 5-year period, on the basis
of a single deposit and application and upon
payment of any special registration fee imposed
under section 708(a)(10), if the application
identifies each work separately, including the
collective work containing it and its date of first
publication.’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(f) COPYRIGHT OFFICE HEARINGS.—Not later than
1 year after the effective date of this subsection, and at
1-year intervals thereafter, the Register of Copyrights
shall hold public hearings to consider proposals to amend
the regulations and practices of the Copyright Office with
respect to deposit of works in order to eliminate deposits
that are unnecessary for copyright examination or the col-
lections of the Library of Congress, and in order to sim-
plify the registration procedures.’’.
SEC. 4. APPLICATION FOR COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION.
(a) APPLICATIONS.—Section 409 of title 17, United
States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘The application’’ and inserting
‘‘(a) CONTENTS
OF APPLICATION.—The applica-
tion’’;
(2) in paragraph (5) by inserting before the
semicolon the following: ‘‘, and if the document by
which ownership was obtained has been recorded in
the Copyright Office, the volume and page number
of such recordation’’;
(3) by striking paragraphs (9) and (10) and in-
serting the following:
‘‘(9) in the case of a compilation or derivative
work, an identification of any preexisting work or
works that it is substantially based on or substan-
tially incorporates, and a brief, general statement of
the additional material covered by the copyright
claim being registered;
‘‘(10) at the option of the applicant, names, ad-
dresses, and telephone numbers of persons or orga-
nizations that potential users of the work should
contact concerning permissions or licenses to use the
work, and any information with respect to the terms
of such permissions or licenses; and’’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(b) SHORT-FORM APPLICATION.—
‘‘(1) USE OF SHORT-FORM.—The Register of
Copyrights shall prescribe a short-form application
which may be used whenever—
‘‘(A) the work is by a living author;
‘‘(B) the claimant is the author;
‘‘(C) the work is not anonymous, pseudon-
ymous, or made for hire; and
‘‘(D) the work as a whole, or substantial
portions of it, have not been previously pub-
lished or registered.
‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF SHORT-FORM.—The short-
form application shall include—
‘‘(A) the name and address of the author;
‘‘(B) the title of the work;
‘‘(C) the nationality or domicile of the au-
thor;
‘‘(D) the year in which creation of the
work was completed;
‘‘(E) if the work has been published, the
date and nation of its first publication;
‘‘(F) any other information regarded by
the Register of Copyrights as bearing upon the
preparation or identification of the work or the
existence, ownership, or duration of the copy-
right; and
‘‘(G) at the option of the applicant, names,
addresses, and telephone numbers of persons or
organizations that potential users of the work
should contact concerning permissions or li-
censes to use the work, and any information
with respect to the terms of such permissions or
licenses.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section take effect 6 months after the date of the en-
actment of this Act.
SEC. 5. REGISTRATION OF CLAIM AND ISSUANCE OF CER-
TIFICATE.
(a) DETERMINATION
OF REGISTRATION.—Section
410 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by strik-
ing subsections (a) and (b) and inserting the following:
‘‘(a) DETERMINATION OF REGISTER.—If, after ex-
amination, the Register of Copyrights determines, in ac-
cordance with the provisions of this title, that there is no
reasonable possibility that a court would hold the work
for which a deposit is made pursuant to section 408(c)
to be copyrightable subject matter, or the Register deter-
mines that the claim is invalid for any other reason, the
Register shall refuse registration and notify the applicant
in writing of the reasons for such refusal. In all other
cases, the Register shall register the claim and issue to
the applicant a certificate of registration under the seal
of the Copyright Office. A certificate of registration issued
under this section extends only to those component parts
of the work that both are the subject matter of copyright
and the copyright owner has the right to claim. The cer-
tificate shall contain the information set forth in the appli-
cation, together with the number and effective date of the
registration.
‘‘(b) APPEALS PROCEDURE.—The Register of Copy-
rights shall establish, and publish in the Federal Register,
a formal procedure by which appeals may be taken from
refusals under subsection (a) to register claims to copy-
right. Such procedure shall include a final appeal to the
Register.’’.
(b) JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.—Subsection (c) of sec-
tion 410 of title 17, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘EVIDENTIARY WEIGHT
OF
CERTIFICATE.—’’ after ‘‘(c)’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Any
error or omission made in good faith or upon rea-
sonable reliance on counsel shall not affect the valid-
ity of the registration. In no case shall an incorrect