Copyright Office Filings Under Section 411

Section 411(a) and 411(b) of the Copyright Act each define circumstances where the Register of Copyrights must be notified of civil copyright lawsuits so that he or she may participate in the case.

Section 411(a) provides that copyright claimants who were denied registration by the Copyright Office must inform the Register when they initiate a lawsuit so that the Register can become a party to the civil action with respect to the issue of registration of the copyright claim.

Section 411(b) provides that if a party in a copyright infringement lawsuit alleges that a certificate of registration issued by the Copyright Office contains knowingly inaccurate information, then a court shall ask the Register to advise the court whether if the Register knew of that inaccuracy, he or she would have refused registration.

The following table contains the Office’s recent replies in 411(a) and 411(b) cases.