How to Find Out If a Copyright Has Been Renewed
Published works are copyrighted to prove authorship and protect the author's work from being reprinted or republished without the author's (or other copyright holder's) permission. Whether a copyright can or should be renewed depends on when it was published. Those published in the early 1900s are in the public domain and can be reprinted without permission. There are several ways to research whether a copyright has been renewed but the most comprehensive source of this information is the issuing federal agency, the U.S. Copyright Office.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Identify which works require copyright renewal. The only published works that need copyright renewal to protect the originator's intellectual property rights are those that were first published in the United States between 1923 and 1963. They had to be renewed 28 years after they were first copyrighted. Those published before that date are in the public domain and can be reprinted by anyone. Works published after 1963 will be or have automatically been renewed for 95 years.
-
2
Check with the U.S. Copyright Office to find out whether a copyright has been renewed. This office issues copyrights and keeps relevant records. This office is housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. Works that have been registered since 1978 can be researched using the Copyright Office's online search site. To research copyright records from 1978 to the present, you can consult the hard copy copyright card catalog on the fourth floor of the library's James Madison Memorial Building. The public can use the catalog, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except during federal holidays.
-
-
3
To reserch renewal status yourself, check with the author, designated representative, or other copyright holder for a work's renewal status. You can write to the author, his/her agent and/or the author's estate to obtain this information. Sometimes, authors don't hold or renew a copyright; their publishers do.
Or, in addition to the Library of Congress, you can visit a federal depository library (they're authorized to store government documents) that has copyright records. Examples include the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the University of Chicago library, and the University of California, Los Angeles Library. There are also commercial copyright research companies that will research records for a fee and the Library of Congress will conduct a copyright history search for $330 for a minimum two-hour search.
-
4
To learn whether a work is exempt from copyright renewal for reasons other than their publication dates, research the work and author's background. A work does not need copyright renewal if one of its authors was from or lived in a foreign country that has had copyright agreements with the United States since Jan. 1 1966. Most do. Such works had to have been published abroad first and not re-published in the United States until at least 30 days after its initial publication date.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Check the published work which will have a notice of copyright or renewal (which may, however, be obsolete if the edition is old).
Some copyright searches can be inconclusive or highly complicated. You may need to consult a copyright attorney, in some cases, to verify a published work's copyright status.
