Circulars
Circulars are published by the Copyright Office to provide up-to-date and authoritative information to a general audience. Circulars are arranged below by topic and cover the basics and fundamental concepts of copyright law, highlights of policies and procedures of the Copyright Office, and registration issues for specific categories of works. For full details regarding the Office’s policies and procedures, refer to the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, third edition.”
Please note: in September 2017, the Office began releasing refreshed and updated circulars. A complete guide to circular updates can be found here.
Foundations of Copyright
- Copyright Basics (Circ. 1)
- Copyright Registration (Circ. 2)
- Copyright Notice (Circ. 3)
- Copyright Office Fees (Circ. 4)
- Cargos por Servicios Prestados en la Oficina del Derecho de Autor (SL 4E)
- Copyright Office Deposit Account (Circ. 5)
- Renewal of Copyright (Circ. 6A)
- Duration of Copyright (Circ. 15a)
- Extension of Copyright Terms (Circ. 15t)
Office Practices and Procedures
- Best Edition of Published Copyrighted Works for the Collections of the Library of Congress (Circ. 7B)
- Responding to a Mandatory Deposit Notice (Circ. 7C)
- Mandatory Deposit of Copies or Phonorecords (Circ. 7D)
- Supplementary Copyright Registration (Circ. 8)
- Special Handling (Circ. 10)
- Using the Single Application (Circ. 11)
- Recordations of Transfers and Other Documents (Circ. 12)
- Calculating Fees for Recording Documents in the Copyright Office (Circ. 12A)
- Cálculo de cargos por Archivo de Documentos y Avisos de Terminación de Contratos (SL 4DE)
- Obtaining Access to and Copies of Copyright Records and Deposits (Circ. 6)
- How to Obtain Permission (Circ. 16A)
- Limitations on Information and Services Provided by the Copyright Office (Circ. 17)
- Privacy: Copyright Public Records (Circ. 18)
- Deadlines for Replying to Copyright Office Correspondence (Circ. 19)
- Requests for Reconsideration (Circ. 20)
- How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work (Circ. 22)
- The Copyright Card Catalog and the Online Files of the Copyright Office (Circ. 23)
- Group Registration of Unpublished Works (Circ. 24)
Copyright Concepts
- Copyright Registration for Derivative Works (Circ. 14)
- Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians (Circ. 21)
- Works Made for Hire (Circ. 30)
- Works Not Protected by Copyright (Circ. 33)
- Multiple Works (Circ. 34)
- International Copyright Relations of the United States (Circ. 38A)
- Copyright Restoration under the URAA (Circ. 38B)
- Federal Statutory Protection for Mask Works (Circ. 100)
- Pseudonyms (Circ. 32)
Visual Arts Works
- Copyright Registration for Pictorial, Graphic, and Sculptural Works (Circ. 40)
- Deposit Requirements for Registration of Claims to Copyright in Visual
Arts Material (Circ. 40a)
- Copyright Registration of Architectural Works (Circ. 41)
- Copyright Registration of Photographs (Circ. 42)
- Copyright Registration of Games (FL 108)
Performing Arts Works
- Copyright Registration for Motion Pictures Including Video Recordings (Circ. 45)
- Copyright Registration of Musical Compositions (Circ. 50)
- Copyright Registration of Choreography and Pantomime (Circ. 52)
- Copyright Registration for Multimedia Works (Circ. 55)
- Copyright Registration of Sound Recordings (Circ. 56)
- Musical Compositions and Sound Recordings (Circ. 56a)
- Pre-1972 Sound Recordings (Circ. 57)
Literary Works
- Copyright Registration of Computer Programs (Circ. 61)
- Copyright Registration for Single Serial Issues (Circ. 62)
- Group Registration of Newspapers (Circ. 62a)
- Copyright Registration for Group of Serial Issues (Circ. 62b)
- Copyright Registration of Contributions to Periodicals (Circ. 62c)
- Copyright Registration for Secure Tests and Test Items (Circ. 64)
- Copyright Registration for Automated Databases (Circ. 65)
- Copyright Registration of Websites and Website Content (Circ. 66)
- Group Registration of Short Online Literary Works (Circ. 67)
Licensing
- Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords (Circ. 73a)
- Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Digital Phonorecords (Circ. 73b)
- How to Make Statutory License Royalty EFT Payments via Wire (Circ. 74a)
- How to Make Statutory License Royalty EFT Payments via ACH Credit (Circ. 74b)
- How to Make Statutory License Royalty EFT Payments Using Pay.gov (Circ. 74c)
- The Licensing Division of the Copyright Office (Circ. 75)
- Copyright Office Licensing Division Service Fees (Circ. 76)