============================== NOTICE OF RENEWAL OF COPYRIGHT ==============================

The Copyright Office is frequently asked whether the notice of copyright should be changed on copies of a work issued during the renewal term.  The copyright law is silent on this point, and the continued use of the original form of notice may therefore be considered appropriate.  However, a notice that also refers to the fact of renewal might be regarded as more informative and, hence, preferable; for example: 

                    Copyright 1972 Bobby Eroica Dupea
                Copyright Renewed 1999 by Rayette Depesto

============================== EFFECTIVE DATE OF REGISTRATION ==============================

A renewal registration is effective on the date the Copyright Office receives all the required renewal elements in acceptable form, regardless of how long it then takes to process the application and mail the certificate of registration.  The time the Copyright Office requires to process an application varies, depending on the amount of material the Office is receiving.  Please keep in mind that it may take a number of days for mailed material to reach the Copyright Office and for the certificate of registration to reach the recipient after being mailed by the Copyright Office.

If you file an application for renewal registration in the Copyright Office, you will not receive an acknowledgment that your application has been received, but you can expect: 

+ A letter or telephone call from a copyright examiner or other staff
  member if further information is needed;

+ A certificate of registration to indicate the renewal has been
  registered;

+ If renewal registration cannot be made, a letter explaining why it has
  been refused.

If you want to know when the Copyright Office receives your material, send it by registered or certified mail and request a return receipt from the U.S.  Postal Service.  Allow at least 4-6 weeks for the return of your receipt.

If you need additional application forms for renewal registration, call (202) 707-9100 anytime, day or night, to record your request on the Copyright Office Forms and Publications Hotline.  Please specify the number of forms you need.

You may photocopy blank application forms; however, photocopied forms submitted to the Copyright Office must be clear and legible on a good grade of 8-1/2 inch by 11 inch white paper suitable for automatic feeding through a photocopier.  The forms should be printed, preferably in black ink, head-to-head (so that when you turn the sheet over, the top of page 2 is directly behind the top of page 1).  FORMS NOT MEETING THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE RETURNED TO THE ORIGINATOR.

If, after reading this circular, you have additional questions about renewal of copyright, you may call the Renewals Section of the Examining Division at (202) 707-8180 or fax at (202) 707-3849 or write to the Copyright Office at this address: