The Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office is a part of the Library of Congress. It keeps records on items for which copyright registration is sought. It also keeps records of transfers of copyrights from one owner to another, liens against copyrights, and renewals of copyrights.
The head of the Copyright Office is the Register of Copyrights, appointed by the Librarian of Congress. There are about 380 staff in the Copyright Office which had a budget in Fiscal Year 2014 of $45 million. The Copyright Office is divided into seven offices: Chief Information Officer, Chief of Operations, General Counsel, Policy and International Affairs, Public Information and Education, Public Records and Repositories, and Registration Policy and Practice. The last is the office that processes copyright registrations.
The Copyright Office has an online database that includes information on new and renewed copyrights filed from January 1, 1978. Information on older copyrights was published in the Catalog of Copyright Entries. The Indiana University Libraries has a nearly complete set in print of the CCE volumes. All of the volumes of the CCE have been scanned as PDF's. An inventory of those scanned volumes is maintained here by the University of Pennsylvania, with a list of links to scans of the volumes.
Books on the Copyright Office
- U.S. Copyright Office : hearing before the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, second session, September 19, 2014. byCall Number: E-bookPublication Date: 2015Print copies are available in the Maurer School of Law Library in Government Documents Y 4.J 89/1:113-116 and from the Auxilary Library Facility (off-site storage).
- Copyright in the Library of Congress : 125th anniversary. byCall Number: Auxiliary Library Facility (off site storage) LC 3.2:L 61/3Publication Date: 1995
- U.S. national bibliography and the copyright law byCall Number: Maurer Law Library Z1216 .R6Additional copy available at Auxiliary Library Facility (off-site storage). This book contains information on the Catalog of Copyright Entries.
Catalog of Copyright Entries in Print
Unless noted, these items are all in the Wells Library, East Tower, 10th Floor at Z642 .A2.
- Dramatic compositions copyrighted in the United States, 1870 to 1916 byCall Number: Auxiliary Library Facility (off-site storage) Z5781 .U55Publication Date: 1918Covers 1870 to 1916
- Motion pictures, 1894-1912, identified from the records of the United States Copyright Office. byCall Number: Auxiliary Library Facility (off site storage) PN1998 .W25Publication Date: 1953Covers 1894 to 1912.
- Catalog of Copyright Entries, Cumulative Series: Motion Pictures byCall Number: Wells Library, East Tower, 9th Floor PN1998 .U615Collects information from yearly volumes into compilations, one covering 1912 to 1939, a secon covering 1940 to 1949, a third covering 1950 to 1959, and a final volume covering 1960 to 1969.
- Catalogue of title entries of books and other articles. byCovers 1902 to 1906.
- Catalog of copyright entries. Part 1, group 1: Books. byCovers 1908 to 1946.
- Catalog of copyright entries. Part 2: Periodicals. byCall Number: Wells Library, East Tower, 10th Floor Z642 .A2Covers 1906 to 1946.
- Catalog of copyright entries. Part 3: Musical compositions. byCovers 1906 to 1946.
- Catalog of copyright entries. Part 3, Musical compositions [microform]. byCall Number: Cook Music Library - Journals -Microfilm -- ML1024Publication Date: 1970Covers 1906 to 1946
- Catalog of copyright entries. Part 4: Works of art byCovers 1906 to 1946.
- Catalog of copyright entries. Part 5, Music [microform]. byCall Number: Cook Music Library - Journals -Microfilm -- ML1025Publication Date: 1970Covers 1946 to 1970.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 1A, Books. byCovers 1947 to 1953.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 2: Periodicals. byCovers 1947 to 1977.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 5, Music. byCall Number: Volumes for 1957 to 1967 are in the Wells Library, East Tower, 10th Floor. Volumes from 1968 to 1977 are in the Cook Music Library, Z642 .A2
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 5A, Published music byCovers 1947 to 1956.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 5B, Unpublished music. byCovers 1947 to 1956.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 6, Maps.Covers 1947 to 1950.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Part 6, Maps and atlases. byCall Number: 1951 to 1959 volumes are in Wells, 1960 to 1977 volumes are in ALF.Covers 1951 to 1977.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Parts 12-13: Motion pictures. byCovers 1973 to 1977.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Parts 12-13: Motion pictures. byCovers 1947 to 1949.
- Catalog of copyright entries, third series. Parts 7-11A: Works of art. byCovers 1947 to 1977
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 3, Performing arts. byCall Number: Cook Music Library Z653 .U59Covers 1978
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 3, Performing arts [microform].Call Number: Cook Music Library - Journals - Microfiche -- Z653 .U59Covers 1979 to 1982.
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 4, Motion pictures & filmstrips. byCall Number: Wells Library, East Tower, 9th Floor PN1998 .U6153Covers 1978
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 4, Motion pictures & filmstrips [microform]. byCall Number: Wells Library - EastTower, 2nd Floor, Microforms - LC Fiche -- PN1998 .U6153Covers 1979 to 1982.
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 5, Visual arts [microform].Call Number: Wells Library - East Tower, 2nd Floor, Microforms - LC Fiche -- Z642 .U685Covers 1979 to 1982.
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 6, Maps. byCall Number: Auxiliary Library Facility (off-site storage) Z6028 .U477Covers 1978.
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 7, Sound recordings. byCall Number: Cook Music Library Z653 .U595Covers 1978
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 7, Sound recordings [microform]. byCall Number: Cook Music Library - Journals - Microfiche -- Z653 .U595Covers 1979 to 1982
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 8, Renewals. byCall Number: Wells Library, East Tower, 10th Floor Z642 .U69Covers 1978.
- Catalog of copyright entries, fourth series. Part 8, Renewals [microform]. byCall Number: Wells Library, EastTower, 2nd Floor - Microforms - LC Fiche -- Z642 .U69Covers 1978 to 1980 and 1982.
This page was created by Michael Eshleman, April 2015.