Request "Copyright Law, Circular 92," (stock number is changed to
030-002-00195-1) from:

Superintendent of Documents
P.O. Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954

Tel: (202) 512-1800
Fax: (202) 512-2250

For copyright investigations, the following points about the impact of
the Copyright Act of 1976, the Berne Convention Implementation Act of
1988, and the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992 should be considered:



A Changed System of Copyright Formalities

Some of the most sweeping changes under the 1976 Copyright Act involve
copyright formalities, that is, the procedural requirements for securing
and maintaining full copyright protection. The old system of formalities
involved copyright notice, deposit and registration, recordation of
transfers and licenses of copyright ownership, and United States
manufacture, among other things. In general, while retaining formalities,
the 1976 law reduced the chances of mistakes, softened the consequences
of errors and omissions, and allowed for the correction of errors.

The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 reduced formalities, most
notably making the addition of the previously mandatory copyright notice
optional. It should be noted that the amended notice requirements are not