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This is a copy of FL (form letter) 105 from the United States Copyright Office. You can also download this document in PDF format.

Related documents:
Circular 50: Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions
Circular 56: Copyright Registration for Sound Recordings
Circular 56a: Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions and Sound Recordings
Circular 7d: Mandatory Deposit of Copies or Phonorecords for the Library of Congress
Form PA
Form PA with instructions
Short Form PA
Form SR
Form SR with instructions


COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION OF MUSIC

Claims to copyright in either published or unpublished musical works may be registered in the Copyright Office. To apply for registration, send the following material in the same envelope or package to the Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20559-6000:

  1. A correctly completed application form; and
  2. A $30* nonrefundable filing fee for each application; and
  3. A nonreturnable deposit of the work to be registered.

* Fees are effective through June 30, 2002. For the latest fee information, write the Copyright Office, check the Copyright Office Website at www.loc.gov/copyright, or call (202) 707-3000.

See enclosed Circular 50, Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions, for details on how to complete the application form and for further information on the deposit requirements.

Published collections of musical works and all of the copyrightable elements of a unit of publication may be registered on a single form with a single fee if all of the compositions are owned by the same copyright claimant.

Unpublished collections of two or more musical works can be submitted for registration on a single form with a single fee and deposit of one complete copy or phonorecord only if all of the conditions are met as specified under the topic heading "Collections of Music" in the enclosed Circular 50. Registration of an unpublished collection of compositions extends to each copyrightable selection in the collection, but only the collection title appears in the Copyright Office catalogs and indexes. A separate registration for each musical work results in a separate record of the individual title of work in the catalogs and indexes of the Copyright Office. A separate registration also may simplify identification of the work for purposes of licensing, transfer, permission, and distribution of royalties.

See Circular 50 for supplemental information on registration procedures.

Sincerely yours,

 

Register of Copyrights


How Long Does Copyright Registration Take?

A copyright registration is effective on the date of receipt in the Copyright Office of all required elements in acceptable form, regardless of the length of time it takes to process the application and mail the certificate of registration. The length of time required by the Copyright Office to process an application varies from time to time, depending on the amount of material received. Remember that it takes a number of days for mail to reach the Copyright Office and for the certificate of registration to reach the recipient after being mailed from the Copyright Office.

You will receive no acknowledgement that your application for copyright registration has been received (the Office receives more than 500,000 applications annually), but you may expect:

You might not receive either of these until approximately 8 months after submission.

If you want to know when the Copyright Office received your material, send it via registered or certified mail and request a return receipt.

For further information, write:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Information Section, LM-401
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

If you need additional application forms for copyright registration, call (202) 707-9100 at any time. Leave your request as a recorded message on the Copyright Office Forms and Publications Hotline in Washington, D.C. Please specify the kind and number of forms you need. If you have general information questions and wish to talk to an information specialist, call (202) 707-3000, TTY (202) 707- 6737.

You may also photocopy blank application forms; however, photocopied forms submitted to the Copyright Office must be clear, legible, on a good grade of 8 1 /2 -inch by 11-inch white paper suitable for automatic feeding through a scanner/photocopier. The forms should be printed, preferably in black ink, head-to-head (so that when you turn the sheet over, the top of page 2 is directly behind the top of page 1). Forms not meeting these requirements will be re-turned to the originator.

All U.S. Copyright Office application forms are available from the Copyright Office Website at www.loc.gov/copyright. They may be downloaded and printed for use in registering a claim to copyright or for use in renewing a claim to copyright.

You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view and print the forms. The free Adobe ® Acrobat ® Reader may be downloaded from Adobe Systems Incorporated through links from the same Internet site at which the forms are available.

Print forms head to head (top of page 2 is directly behind the top of page 1) on a single piece of good quality, 8 1 /2 -inch by 11-inch white paper. To achieve the best quality copies of the application forms, use a laser printer.

Frequently requested Copyright Office circulars, announcements, and recently proposed as well as final regulations are also available from the Copyright Office Website.

Copyright Office circulars and announcements are available via fax. Call (202) 707-2600 from any touchtone telephone. Key in your fax number at the prompt and the document number of the item(s) you want to receive by fax. The item(s) will be transmitted to your fax machine. If you do not know the document number of the item(s) you want, you may request that a menu be faxed to you. You may order up to three items at a time. Note that copyright application forms are not available by fax.

 

Library of Congress € Copyright Office € 101 Independence Avenue, S.E. € Washington, D.C. 20559-6000 www.loc.gov/copyright

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1999-454-879/10

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