United States Copyright Office

Circular 22

How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work

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IN GENERAL

Methods of Approaching & Copyright Investigation

There are several ways to investigate whether a work is under copyright
protection and, if so, the facts of the copyright. These are the main
ones:

1. Examine a copy of the work for such elements as a copyright notice,
place and date of publication, author and publisher. If the work is a
sound recording, examine the disk, tape cartridge, or cassette in which
the recorded sound is fixed, or the album cover, sleeve, or container in
which the recording is sold.

2. Make a search of the Copyright Office catalogs and other records; or

3. Have the Copyright Office make a search for you.



A Few Words of Caution About Copyright Investigations