Superintendent of Documents
P.O.  Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954

Tel:  (202) 512-1800
Fax:  (202) 512-2250

For copyright investigations, the following points about the impact of the Copyright Act of 1976, the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988, and the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992 should be considered: 

A Changed System of Copyright Formalities

Some of the most sweeping changes under the 1976 Copyright Act involve copyright formalities, that is, the procedural requirements for securing and maintaining full copyright protection.  The old system of formalities involved copyright notice, deposit and registration, recordation of transfers and licenses of copyright ownership, and United States manufacture, among other things.  In general, while retaining formalities, the 1976 law reduced the chances of mistakes, softened the consequences of errors and omissions, and allowed for the correction of errors.

The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 reduced formalities, most notably making the addition of the previously mandatory copyright notice optional.  It should be noted that the amended notice requirements are not retroactive.

The Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, enacted June 26, 1992, automatically extends the term of copyrights secured between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977, making renewal registration optional.  Consult Circular 15, “Renewal of Copyright,” for details.  For additional information, you may contact the Renewals Section.

Tel:  (202) 707-8180
Fax:  (202) 707-3849

Automatic Copyright

Under the present copyright law, copyright exists in original works of authorship created and fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly, or indirectly with the aid of a machine or device.  In other words, copyright is an incident of creative authorship not dependent on statutory formalities.  Thus, registration with the Copyright Office generally is not required, but there are certain advantages that arise from a timely registration.  For further information on the advantages of registration, write or call the Copyright Office and request Circular 1, “Copyright Basics.”

Copyright Notice

The 1909 Copyright Act and the 1976 Copyright Act as originally enacted required a notice of copyright on published works.  For most works, a copyright notice consisted of the symbol (C in a circle), the word “Copyright,” or the abbreviation “Copr.,” together with the name of the owner of copyright and the year of first publication.  For example:  “(C in a circle symbol) Joan Crane 1994” or “Copyright 1994 by Abraham Adams.”

For sound recordings published on or after February 15, 1972, a copyright notice might read “1994 XYZ Records, Inc.”  See below for more information about sound recordings.