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Copyright Office

The Copyright office is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States.  Althoough registration is not required for the copyright to be in effect, but U.S. authors must register their works before filing an infringement suit.

The Copyright Office is authorized under the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8:  “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times  to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries”

The Copyright Office is currently located at:  The Copyright Office is housed in the James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress, at 101 Independence Avenue, SE, in Washington, DC.  (See:  Wikipedia)

See:  http://www.copyright.gov/

Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary

The branch of the Library of Congress that oversees the implementation of the federal copyright laws. The Copyright Office issues regulations, processes applications for registration of copyrights, and accepts and (for some types of works) stores deposits made in connection with registration. The Copyright Office also issues opinions on whether certain types of items are subject to copyright protection.

Definition provided by Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary.

August 19, 2010, 5:13 pm