+ Exception: Under the provisions of the Uruguay
Round Agreements Act
(URAA), certain foreign works whose U.S.
copyright protection had been
lost because of non-compliance with formalities
of U.S. law were
restored as of January 1, 1996. Such
works may be registered using Form
GATT. For more information, request
Circular 38b, “Highlights of
Copyright Amendments Contained in the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act
(URAA-GATT).”
+ A work published before January 1, 1964, and originally
copyrighted
within the past 75 years may still be
protected by copyright if a valid
renewal registration was made during the
28th year of the first term of
the copyright. If renewed and if
still valid under the other provisions
of the law, the copyright will now expire
95 years from the end of the
year in which it was first secured.
Works published before January 1,
1923, have fallen into the public domain,
but works published after
that date could still be protected by
copyright if the copyright was
renewed by registration or automatically
by law under Public Law
102-307.
======================= FOR FURTHER INFORMATION =======================
INFORMATION VIA THE INTERNET: Frequently requested circulars, announcements, regulations, other related materials, and all copyright application forms are available via the Internet. You may access these via the Copyright Office homepage at http://www.loc.gov/copyright.
INFORMATION BY FAX: Circulars and other information (but not application forms) are available by Fax-on-Demand at (202)707-2600.
INFORMATION BY TELEPHONE: For general information about copyright, call the Copyright Public Information Office at (202)707-3000. The TTY number is (202)707-6737. Information specialists are on duty from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. Or, if you know which application forms and circulars you want, request them from the Forms and Publications Hotline at (202)707-9100 24 hours a day. Leave a recorded message.
Information by regular mail: Write to:
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Publications Section, LM-455
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
-------- ENDNOTES
1 The enactments were Public Laws 87-668, 89-142, 90-141, 90-416, 91-147, 91-555, 92-170, 92-566, and 93-573. Their effect was to extend the second term of all renewed copyrights scheduled to expire between September 19, 1962, and December 3, 1976, through the end of 1976.
2 Works published before January 1, 1923, would have fallen into the public domain at the end of calendar year 1997. Consequently, these works do not receive the additional 20 years of copyright protection created by Public Law 105-298.