OFFICE OF THE
REGISTER OF COPYRIGHTS

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
COPYRIGHT OFFICE
WASHINGTON

IN REPLY QUOTE FILE
NO.

RCD-SMF

August 7, 1926.

Dear Sir:

The Copyright Office has received your application for registration of what you term a "dramatico-musical composition" entitled "Leaves". The copy received, however, contains no music, but only the words of a sketch or revue to which there is to be a musical accompaniment.

In order to secure registration for a dramatico-musical composition a complete copy of all the music as well as the words should be deposited in this Office. Registration for the words in this case might be made as an unpublished dramatic composition on the filing of an application on Form D-2 enclosed, but that would not secure copyright for the music.

Please refer in your reply to no. 36011.

Enclosures:
Form D-2
Circular 5

Mr. James Hughes,
314 West 138th Street,
New York, N.Y.

No. 5

WASHINGTON, D. C.

DRAMAS AND DRAMATICO-MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECURING COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION

Copyright registration may be secured for a dramatic composition by taking the following
steps:

1. Dramas reproduced in copies for sale:

(a) If the drama is by an American author, send two copies of the best edition published to the Copyright Office, Washington, D. C., **promptly** after publication, together with an application for registration and a **money order** for $1, the statutory fee, payable to the Register of Copyrights. Use for this purpose Application Form D1.

(b) If the drama is by a foreign author, published in a foreign country, only one copy with application and fee need be sent. Use Application Form D1 Foreign.

2. If the work is not to be reproduced in copies for sale, ONE complete typewritten copy may be sent to the Copyright Office with an application for registration and the statutory fee of $1. Use for this purpose Application Form D2.

Application forms are supplied by this office upon request.

If such work is afterwards reproduced in copies for sale, however, deposit must again be
made of two copies of the best edition published **promptly** after such publication with fee and
application for a second registration, as above.

If, therefore, a dramatic work is intended to be reproduced in copies for sale, the duplicate
registration may be avoided by deferring registration until after publication, until which time pro-
tection against infringement is secured under the provisions of section 2 of the Copyright Act
of March 4, 1909, which reads as follows:

"SEC. 2. That nothing in this act shall be construed to annul or limit the
right of the author or proprietor of an unpublished work, at common law or in
equity, to prevent the copying, publication, or use of such unpublished work
without his consent, and to obtain damages therefor."

Dramatico-musical compositions may be registered in the same manner as dramatic compositions. For a published dramatico-musical composition use Application Form D3. For a dramatico musical composition not reproduced for sale use Form D4.

The copyright law which went into effect on July 1, 1909, abrogates the former statutory provisions permitting the filing of the **title** of a dramatic composition in advance of the deposit of complete copies of the composition.

The present copyright law does not provide for registration of the title of a dramatic composition for the purpose of securing the exclusive right to use such title.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

The law requires a notice of copyright to be affixed to each copy published or offered for sale in the United States. The notice required by law in the case of published dramas consists either of the word "Copyright" or the abbreviation "Copr.," accompanied by the name of the copyright proprietor and the year in which the copyright was secured by publication. The notice should appear upon the title-page or the page immediately following.

[OVER]

Ref'd to
Ref'd JUL 28 1926
Ans.