Level Up Your Copyright Public Records Search

On August 1, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. eastern time, the U.S. Copyright Office hosted a webinar: Level Up Your Copyright Public Records Search.
This sixty-minute webinar shared ways to search copyright public records with the Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot, an easy-to-navigate, highly searchable database. Participants learned how to leverage CPRS’s many features to conduct simple and advanced searches successfully and information on additional research and support services the Office provides to the public. CPRS is the second component to be made publicly available as part of the Office’s new Enterprise Copyright System (ECS).
Speakers:
- Denise Wofford, Assistant Register and Director, Office of Copyright Records, U.S. Copyright Office
- George Thuronyi, Deputy Director, Office of Public Information and Education, U.S. Copyright Office
- Michael Goldfine, Copyright Specialist, Records Research and Certification Division, U.S. Copyright Office
The Copyright Office aims to broaden public awareness of what the copyright system encompasses and how to participate. A cornerstone of our current strategic plan is Copyright for All, and the Office dedicates itself to making the copyright system as understandable and accessible to as many members of the public as possible.
Resource Center
The presenters provided these related links in the chat during the webinar. The Copyright Office website is the authoritative source for copyright information.
Copyright Public Records System Pilot:The Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) is a pilot that will run in parallel with the Copyright Public Catalog. The CPRS uses a more powerful search engine than the Copyright Public Catalog, provides easy filtering capability, and follows user-centered design principles in line with the Enterprise Copyright System. (Video Reference: 4:45)
Copyright Public Records System User Experience Survey: The Copyright Office is collecting feedback on the Copyright Public Records System so that we can work to improve the user experience. (Video reference: 21:09)
Copyright Public Records System Help Page: The Copyright Public Records System offers simple and advanced searches. Explore the help page for more details about how each search functions.
Learning Engine Video Series: Learning Engine Video Series: The Learning Engine series of videos introduces copyright concepts and the Copyright Office to those who may be new to the topic or who want to learn more. More videos will be added in the future to this page and to our YouTube channel. The presentation specifically highlighted the Duration of Copyright video. (Video reference: 8:13)
Virtual Card Catalog (VCC): The U.S. Copyright Card Catalog provides an index to copyright registrations and other public records pertaining to ownership of copyrighted works. The Virtual Card Catalog (proof of concept) represents card records, displayed in JPEG images, from the U.S. Copyright Card Catalog collection. (Video Reference: 23:08)
Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE): This ongoing project presents records of copyright ownership from the United States Copyright Office for the period from July 1891 through December 1977. The Catalogs of Copyright Entries are published compilations of copyright registration records cataloged in periods ranging from semiweekly to semiannually. (Video Reference: 23:14)
Historical Record Books: The copyright records in the historical record books include registrations, renewals, assignments, notices of use of musical compositions, and other related records, including patent records from 1870 to 1940. (Video Reference: 23:19)
Circulars:
- Circular 15A: Duration of Copyright (Video Reference: 8:06)
- Circular 4: Copyright Office Fees (Video Reference: 25:16)
- Circular 22: How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work
- Circular 23: The Copyright Card Catalog and the Online Files of the Copyright Office
Request a Search Estimate: The U.S. Copyright Office offers a search service for persons interested in investigating whether a work is under copyright protection and, if so, the facts of the copyright. For a fee of $200 per hour or fraction thereof (two-hour minimum), the office will search its public records and provide a report of its findings. Based on the information you furnish, we will provide an estimate of the total search fee before conducting the search.(Video reference: 24:06)
Request Copies of Records: The U.S. Copyright Office provides copies of completed and in-process registration records (applications, certificates of registration, and related correspondence), completed and in-process recordation records (recorded documents, certificates of recordation, and related correspondence), and registration deposit material.(Video reference: 24:26)
Contact the Copyright Office. You can submit an online contact form anytime. During business hours, you also can call the Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll-free).
Global Director of Intellectual Property Policy, Intel Corporation
West Coast correspondent for Publishers Weekly
Cofounder of EccoVR, West Coast creative director and chief scientist for Man Made Music, and board member of the Society of Composers & Lyricists
Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Rutgers University, and Director of the The Art & Artificial Intelligence Lab
Attorney-Advisor, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Copyright Office
Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, University of Sussex and Editor in Chief of the Journal of World Intellectual Property
Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Partner and Chair, Automated & Connected Vehicles, O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Composer, Musician, Consultant, and Professor in Music Copyright and Intellectual Property Matters at Berklee Online
Director and Counsel, Government Affairs and Public Policy, SAG-AFTRA
Chief Technology Officer, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice, U.S. Copyright Office
Attorney-Advisor, Office of Public Information and Education, U.S. Copyright Office
Associate Professor of Law and founding Director of the Intellectual Property and Information Policy (iPIP) Clinic, Georgetown Law
Director, Copyright & IP Enforcement, U.K. Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)
Founder and CEO, Boomy
Senior Counsel, Epic Games
Executive Director, the Authors Guild and Authors Guild Foundation
Policy Counsel, Public Knowledge
Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education, U.S. Copyright Office
SVP, Intellectual Property, NBCUniversal
General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights, U.S. Copyright Office
Acting Register of Copyrights and Director, U.S. Copyright Office
Division of Artificial Intelligence Policy, WIPO
Executive Director, EqualAI
Director, Copyright Law Division, WIPO