A number of libraries throughout the United States maintain copies of the Catalog, and this may provide a good starting point if you wish to make a search yourself.  There are some cases, however, in which a search of the Catalog alone will not be sufficient to provide the needed information.  For example: 

+ Because the Catalog does not include entries for assignments or other recorded documents, it cannot be used for searches involving the ownership of rights.

+ The Catalog entry contains the essential facts concerning a registration, but it is not a verbatim transcript of the registration record.  It does not contain the address of the copyright claimant.

Effective with registrations made since 1982 when the CCE was discontinued, the only method of searching outside the Library of Congress is by using the Internet to access the automated catalog.  The automated catalog contains entries from 1978 to the present.  Information for accessing the catalog via the Internet is provided below.

Individual Searches of Copyright Records

The Copyright Office is located in the Library of Congress James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20559-6000.

Most Copyright Office records are open to public inspection and searching from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

The various records freely available to the public include an extensive card catalog, an automated catalog containing records from 1978 forward, record books, and microfilm records of assignments and related documents.

Other records, including correspondence files and deposit copies, are not open to the public for searching.

However, they may be inspected upon request and payment of a $65 per hour search fee. [1]

If you wish to do your own searching in the Copyright Office files open to the public, you will be given assistance in locating the records you need and in learning procedures for searching.  If the Copyright Office staff actually makes the search for you, a search fee must be charged.  The search will not be done while you wait.  In addition, the following files dating from 1978 forward are now available over the Internet:  COHM, which includes all material except serials and documents; COHD, which includes documents; and COHS, which includes serials.

The Internet site addresses for the Copyright Office files are: 
World Wide Web:  www.loc.gov/copyright
Telnet:  locis.loc.gov

Access to LOCIS requires Telnet support.  If your online service provider supports Telnet, you can connect to LOCIS through the World Wide Web or directly by using Telnet.

The Copyright Office does not offer search assistance to users on the Internet.

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SEARCHING BY THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE
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In General