The Computer Software Rental Amendments Act of 1990 amended section 109(b) as follows: 1) paragraphs (2) and (3) were redesignated as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 2) paragraph (1) was struck out and new paragraphs (1) and (2) were inserted in lieu thereof; and 3) paragraph (4), as redesignated, was amended in its entirety with a new paragraph (4) inserted in lieu thereof. Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5089, 5134. The Act states that section 109(b), as amended, "shall not affect the right of a person in possession of a particular copy of a computer program, who acquired such copy before the date of the enactment of this Act, to dispose of the possession of that copy on or after such date of enactment in any manner permitted by section 109 of title 17, United States Code, as in effect on the day before such date of enactment." The Act also states that the amendments made to section 109(b) "shall not apply to rentals, leasings, or lendings (or acts or practices in the nature of rentals, leasings, or lendings) occurring on or after October 1, 1997." However, this limitation, which is set forth in the first sentence of section 804 (c) of the Computer Software Rental Amendments Act of 1990, at 104 Stat. 5136, was subsequently deleted in 1994 by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. Pub. L. No. 103-465, 108 Stat. 4809, 4974.

The Computer Software Rental Amendments Act of 1990 also amended section 109 by adding at the end thereof subsection (e). Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5089, 5135. That Act states that the provisions contained in the new subsection (e) shall take effect 1 year after the date of enactment of such Act, that is, one year after December 1, 1990. The Act also states that such amendments so made "shall not apply to public performances or displays that occur on or after October 1, 1995."

In 1994, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act amended section 109(a) by adding the second sentence, which begins with "Notwithstanding the preceding sentence." Pub. L. No. 103-465, 108 Stat. 4809, 4981.

41 In 1988, the Extension of Record Rental Amendment amended section 110 by adding paragraph (10). Pub. L. No. 97-366, 96 Stat. 1759. In 1997, the Technical Corrections to the Satellite Home Viewer Act amended section 110 by inserting a semicolon in lieu of the period at the end of paragraph (8); by inserting "; and" in lieu of the period at the end of paragraph (9); and by inserting "(4)" in lieu of "4 above" in paragraph (10). Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1534. The Fairness in Music Licensing Act of 1998 amended section 110, in paragraph 5, by adding subparagraph (B) and by making conforming amendments to subparagraph (A); by adding the phrase "or of the audiovisual or other devices utilized in such performance" to paragraph 7; and by adding the last paragraph to section 110 that begins "The exemptions provided under paragraph (5)." Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827, 2830. In 1999, a technical amendment made corrections to conform paragraph designations that were affected by amendments previously made by the Fairness in Music Licensing Act of 1998. Pub. L. No. 106-44, 113 Stat. 221.

42 In 1986, section 111(d) was amended by striking out paragraph (1) and by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), (4) and (5) as paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4), respectively. Pub. L. 99-397, 100 Stat. 848. Also, in 1986, section 111(f) was amended by substituting "subsection (d)(1)" for "subsection (d)(2)" in the last sentence of the definition of "secondary transmission" and by adding a new sentence after the first sentence in the definition of "local service area of a primary transmitter." Pub. L. No. 99-397, 100 Stat. 848.

The Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988 amended subsection 111(a) by striking "or" at the end of paragraph (3), by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5) and by inserting a new paragraph (4). Pub. L. No. 100-667, 102 Stat. 3935, 3949. That Act also amended section (d)(1)(A) by adding the second sentence which begins with "In determining the total number."* Id.*

The Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993 amended section 111(d) by substituting "Librarian of Congress" for "Copyright Royalty Tribunal" where appropriate, by inserting a new sentence in lieu of the second and third sentences of paragraph (2) and, in paragraph (4), by amending subparagraph (B) in its entirety with substitute language. Pub. L. No. 103-198, 107 Stat. 2304, 2311.

The Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994 amended section 111(f) by inserting "microwave" after "wires, cables," in the paragraph relating to the definition of "cable system" and by inserting new matter after "April 15, 1976," in the paragraph relating to the definition of "local service area of a primary transmitter." Pub. L. No. 103-369, 108 Stat. 3477, 3480. That Act provides that the amendment "relating to the definition of the local service area of a primary transmitter, shall take effect on July 1, 1994." *Id.*

In 1995, the Digital Performance in Sound Recordings Act amended section 111(c)(1) by inserting "and section 114(d)" in the first sentence, after "of this subsection." Pub. L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336, 348.

The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 amended section 111 by substituting "statutory" for "compulsory" and "programming" for "programing," wherever they appeared. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-543. The Act also amended sections 111(a) and (b) by inserting "performance or display of a work embodied in a primary transmission" in lieu of "primary transmission embodying a performance or display of a work." It amended paragraph (1) of section 111(c) by inserting "a performance or display of a work embodied in" after "by a cable system of" and by striking "and embodying a performance or display of a work." It amended subparagraphs (3) and (4) of section 111(a) by inserting "a performance or display of a work embodied in a primary transmission" in lieu of "a primary transmission" and by striking "and embodying a performance or display of a work." *Id.*

43 Royalty rates specified by the compulsory licensing provisions of this section are subject to adjustment by copyright arbitration royalty panels appointed and convened by the Librarian of Congress in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 8 of title 17 of the *United States Code, *as amended by the Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993, Pub. L. No. 103-198, 107 Stat. 2304, 2311.

44 In 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act amended section 112 by redesignating subsection (a) as subsection (a)(1); by redesignating former sections (a)(1), (a)(2) and (a)(3) as subsections (a)(1)(A), (a) (1)(B) and (a)(1)(C), respectively; by adding subsection (a)(2); and by amending the language in new subsection (a)(1). Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2888. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act also amended section 112 by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f) and adding a new subsection (e). Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2899. In 1999, a technical amendment to section 112(e) redesignated paragraphs (3) through (10) as (2) through (9) and corrected the paragraph references throughout that section to conform to those redesignations. Pub. L. No. 106-44, 113 Stat. 221.

45 The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 amended section 113 by adding subsection (d) at the end thereof. Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5089, 5130.

46 The Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 amended section 114 as follows: 1) in subsection (a), by striking "and (3)" and inserting in lieu thereof "(3) and (6)"; 2) in subsection (b) in the first sentence, by striking "phonorecords, or of copies of motion pictures and other audiovisual works," and inserting "phonorecords or copies"; and 3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting in lieu thereof new subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j). Pub. L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336. In 1997, subsection 114(f) was amended by inserting all the text that appears after "December 31, 2000" (which is now December 31, 2001, in paragraph (1)(A)) and by striking "and publish in the Federal Register." Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1531.

In 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act amended section 114(d) by replacing paragraphs (1)(A) and (2) with amendments in the nature of substitutes. Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2890. That Act also amended section 114(f) by revising the title; by redesignating paragraph (1) as paragraph (1)(A); by adding paragraph (1)(B) in lieu of paragraphs (2), (3), (4) and (5); and by amending the language in newly designated paragraph (1)(A), including revising the effective date from December 31, 2000, to December 31, 2001. Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2894. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act also amended subsection 114(g) by substituting "transmission" in lieu of "subscription transmission," wherever it appears and, in the first sentence in paragraph (g)(1), by substituting "transmission licensed under a statutory license" in lieu of "subscription transmission licensed." Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2897. That Act also amended subsection 114(j) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), (5), (6), (7) and (8) as (3), (5), (9), (12), (13) and (14), respectively; by amending paragraphs (4) and (9) in their entirety and resdesignating them as paragraphs (7) and (15), respectively; and by adding new definitions, including, paragraph (2) defining "archived program," paragraph (4) defining "continuous program," paragraph (6) defining "eligible nonsubscription transmission," paragraph (8) defining "new subscription service," paragraph (10) defining "preexisting satellite digital audio radio service" and paragraph (11) defining "preexisting subscription service." Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2897.

47 The Digital Millennium Copyright Act states that "the publication of notice of proceedings under section 114(f)(1) . . . as in effect upon the effective date of [the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336], for the determination of royalty payments shall be deemed to have been made for the period beginning on the effective date of that Act and ending on December 1, 2001." Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2899.

48 The Digital Millennium Copyright Act contains an additional effective date provision for the amendment that changed the date in subsection 114(f)(1)(A) to December 31, 2001. This provision is paragraph 405(a)(5) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which is in Appendix V of this publication.

49 The Record Rental Amendment of 1984 amended section 115 by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (c) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively, and by adding a new paragraph (3). Pub. L. No. 98-450, 98 Stat. 1727.

In 1997, section 115 was amended by striking "and publish in the Federal Register" in subparagraph 115(c)(3)(D). Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1531. The same legislation also amended section 115(c)(3)(E) by replacing the phrases "sections 106(1) and (3)" and "sections 106(1) and 106(3)" with "paragraphs (1) and (3) of section 106." Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1534.

The Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 amended section 115 as follows: 1) in the first sentence of subsection (a)(1), by striking "any other person" and inserting in lieu thereof "any other person, including those who make phonorecords or digital phonorecord deliveries,"; 2) in the second sentence of the same subsection, by inserting before the period "including by means of a digital phonorecord delivery"; 3) in the second sentence of subsection (c)(2), by inserting "and other than as provided in paragraph (3)," after "For this purpose,"; 4) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4) and (5) of subsection (c) as paragraphs (4), (5) and (6), respectively, and by inserting after paragraph (2) a new paragraph (3); and (5) by adding after subsection (c) a new subsection (d). Pub. L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336, 344.

50 Royalty rates specified by the compulsory licensing provisions of this section are subject to adjustment by copyright arbitration royalty panels appointed and convened by the Librarian of Congress in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 8 of title 17 of the *United States Code*, as amended by the Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993. Pub. L. No. 103-198, 107 Stat. 2304.

51 Pursuant to this subsection and section 803(a)(3) of title 17, the current rates have been established by regulation and may be found at 37 C.F.R. 255.

52 The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 added section 116A. Pub. L. No. 100-568, 102 Stat. 2853, 2855. The Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993 redesignated section 116A as section 116; repealed the preexisting section 116; in the redesignated section 116, struck subsections (b), (e), (f) and (g), and redesignated subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (b) and (c), respectively; and substituted, where appropriate, "Librarian of Congress" or "copyright arbitration royalty panel" for "Copyright Royalty Tribunal." Pub. L. No. 103-198, 107 Stat. 2304, 2309. In 1997, section 116 was amended by rewriting subsection (b)(2) and by adding a new subsection (d). Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1531.

53 In 1980, section 117 was amended in its entirety. Pub. L. No. 96-517, 94 Stat. 3015, 3028. In 1998, the Computer Maintenance Competition Assurance Act amended section 117 by inserting headings for subsections (a) and (b) and by adding subsections (c) and (d). Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2887.

54 The Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993 amended section 118 by striking the first two sentences of subsection (b), by substituting a new first sentence in paragraph (3) and by making general conforming amendments throughout. Pub. L. 103-198, 107 Stat. 2304, 2309. In 1999, a technical amendment deleted paragraph (2) from section 118(e). Pub. L. No. 106-44, 113 Stat. 221, 222.

55 The Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988 added section 119. Pub. L. No. 100-667, 102 Stat. 3935, 3949. The Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993 amended subsections (b) and (c) of section 119 by substituting "Librarian of Congress" in lieu of "Copyright Royalty Tribunal" wherever it appeared and by making related conforming amendments. Pub. L. No. 103-198, 107 Stat. 2304, 2310. The Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993 also amended paragraph (c)(3) by deleting subparagraphs (B), (C), (E) and (F) and by redesignating subparagraph (D) as (B), (G) as (C) and (H) as (D). The redesignated subparagraph (C) was amended in its entirety and paragraph (c)(4) was deleted. *Id.*

The Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994 further amended section 119. Pub. L. No. 103-369, 108 Stat. 3477. In 1997, technical corrections and clarifications were made to the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994. Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529. Those two acts amended section 119 as follows: 1) by deleting or replacing obsolete effective dates; 2) in subsection (a)(5), by adding subparagraph (D); 3) in subsection (a), by adding paragraphs (8), (9) and (10); 4) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by adjusting the royalty rate for retransmitted superstations; 5) in subsection (c)(3), by replacing subparagraph (B) with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; 6) in subsections (d)(2) and (d)(6), by modifying the definition of "network station" and "satellite carrier"; and 7) in subsection (d), by adding paragraph 11 to define "local market."

Pursuant to section 4 of the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994, the changes made by that Act to section 119 of the *United States Code* ceased to be effective on December 31, 1999. Pub. L. No. 103-369, 108 Stat. 3477, 3481. However, section 1003 of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 extended that date to December 31, 2004. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-527.

The Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 amended section 119 in the first sentence of subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2)(A), respectively, by inserting the words "and section 114(d)" after "of this subsection." Pub. L. No. 104-39, 109 Stat. 336, 348. In 1999, a technical amendment substituted "network station's" for "network's stations" in section 119(a)(8)(C)(ii). Pub. L. No. 106-44, 113 Stat. 221, 222.

The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 amended section 119(a) (1) as follows: 1) by inserting "AND PBS SATELLITE FEED" after "SUPERSTATIONS" in the paragraph heading; 2) by inserting "performance or display of a work embodied in a primary transmission made by a superstation or by the Public Broadcasting Service satellite feed" in lieu of "primary transmission made by a superstation and embodying a performance or display of a work," (see endnote 55, *infra*) and 3) by adding the last sentence, which begins "In the case of the Public Broadcasting Service." Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-530 and 543. The Act states that these amendments shall be effective as of July 1, 1999, except for a portion of the second item, starting with "performance or display" through "superstation." Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-544. The Act also amended section 119(a) by inserting the phrase "with regard to secondary transmissions the satellite carrier is in compliance with the rules, regulations, or authorization of the Federal Communications Commission governing the carriage of television broadcast stations signals" in paragraphs (1) and (2) and by inserting into paragraph (2), "a performance or display of a work embodied in a primary transmission made by a network station" in lieu of "programming contained in a primary transmission made by a network station and embodying a performance or display of a work." *Id.* at 1501A-531 and 544. The Act amended section 119(a)(2) by substituting new language for paragraph (B) and, in paragraph (C), by deleting "currently" after "the satellite carrier" near the end of the first sentence. *Id.* at 1501A-528 and 544. It also amended section 119(a)(4) by inserting "a performance or display of a work embodied in" after "by a satellite carrier of" and by deleting "and embodying a performance or display of a work." *Id.* at 1501A-544. The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 further amended section 119(a) by adding subparagraph (E) to paragraph (5). *Id.* at 1501A-528. It amended section 119(a)(6) by inserting "performance or display of a work embodied in" after "by a satellite carrier of" and by deleting "and embodying a performance or display of a work."* Id.* The Act also amended section 119(a) by adding paragraphs (11) and (12). *Id.* at 1501A-529 and 531.

The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 amended section 119(b) (1) by inserting "or the Public Broadcasting Service satellite feed" into subparagraph (B). (See endnote 60, *infra.*) *Id.* at 1501A-530. The Act amended section 119(c) by adding a new paragraph (4). *Id.* at 1501A-527. The Act amended section 119(d) by substituting new language for paragraphs (9) through (11) and by adding paragraph (12).* Id.* at 1501A-527, 530 and 531. The Act substituted new language for section 119(e). *Id.* at 1501A-529.

56 The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 amended section 119(a)(1) by deleting "primary transmission made by a superstation and embodying a performance or display of a work" and inserting in its place "performance or display of a work embodied in a primary transmission made by a superstation." Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-543. This amendatory language did not take into account a prior amendment which had inserted "or by the Public Broadcasting Service satellite feed" after "superstation" into the phrase quoted above that was deleted. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-530. There was no mention of the phrase "or by the Public Broadcasting Service satellite feed" in that second amendment. To accommodate both amendments, the phrase "or by the Public Broadcasting Service satellite feed" has been placed at the end of the new language, after "superstation."

57 The Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994 states that "The provisions of section 119(a)(5)(D) . . . relating to the burden of proof of satellite carriers, shall take effect on January 1, 1997, with respect to civil actions relating to the eligibility of subscribers who subscribed to service as an unserved household before the date of the enactment of this Act." Pub. L. No. 103-369, 108 Stat. 3477, 3481.

58 It appears that section 1011(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 inadvertently omitted the word "a" when it amended this paragraph. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-528.

59 The Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994 states that "The provisions of section 119(a)(8)[,] . . . relating to transitional signal intensity measurements, shall cease to be effective on December 31, 1996." Pub. L. No. 103-369, 108 Stat. 3477, 3481.

60 It appears that Congress intended for the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 to amend section 119(a) of title 17, as amended by section 1005(d) of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999, by adding a new paragraph (12) at the end thereof. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-531. However, due to a drafting error, the reference in the amendment is to section 119(a) as amended by section 1005(e), instead.

61 It appears that Congress intended for the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 to amend section 119(b)(1)(B)(ii) to insert "or the Public Broadcasting Service satellite feed" after "network station." Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-530. However, due to a drafting error, the reference in the amendment is to section 119(b) (1)(B)(iii), instead. The Act states that this amendment shall be effective as of July 1, 1999. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-544.

62 The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 states that section 119(c)(4) shall be effective as of July 1, 1999. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-527.

63 The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 states that section 119(c)(5) shall be effective as of July 1, 1999. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-544.

64 The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 states that section 119(d)(9) shall be effective as of July 1, 1999. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-544.

65 The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 states that section 119(d)(12) shall be effective as of July 1, 1999. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-544.

66 In 1990, the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act added section 120. Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5089, 5133.

67 The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997, added section 121. Pub. L. No. 104-197, 110 Stat. 2394, 2416. The Work Made for Hire and Copyright Corrections Act of 2000 amended section 121 by substituting "section 106" for "sections 106 and 710." Pub. L. No. 106-379, 114 Stat. 1444, 1445.

68 The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 added section 122. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-523. The Act states that section 122 shall be effective as of November 29, 1999. Pub. L. No. 106-113, 113 Stat. 1501, app. I at 1501A-544.

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Chapter 2

Copyright Ownership and Transfer

+ 201. Ownership of copyright + 202. Ownership of copyright as distinct from ownership of material object + 203. Termination of transfers and licenses granted by the author + 204. Execution of transfers of copyright ownership + 205. Recordation of transfers and other documents

Section 201. Ownership of copyright {1}

(a) Initial Ownership. Copyright in a work protected under this title vests initially in the author or authors of the work. The authors of a joint work are coowner of copyright in the work.

(b) Works Made for Hire. In the case of a work made for hire, the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared is considered the author for purposes of this title, and, unless the parties have expressly agreed otherwise in a written instrument signed by them, owns all of the rights comprised in the copyright.

(c) Contributions to Collective Works. Copyright in each separate contribution to a collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole, and vests initially in the author of the contribution. In the absence of an express transfer of the copyright or of any rights under it, the owner of copyright in the collective work is presumed to have acquired only the privilege of reproducing and distributing the contribution as part of that particular collective work, any revision of that collective work, and any later collective work in the same series.

(d) Transfer of Ownership.-

(1) The ownership of a copyright may be transferred in whole or in part by any means of conveyance or by operation of law, and may be bequeathed by will or pass as personal property by the applicable laws of intestate succession.

(2) Any of the exclusive rights comprised in a copyright, including any subdivision of any of the rights specified by section 106, may be transferred as provided by clause (1) and owned separately. The owner of any particular exclusive right is entitled, to the extent of that right, to all of the protection and remedies accorded to the copyright owner by this title.

(e) Involuntary Transfer. When an individual author's ownership of a copyright, or of any of the exclusive rights under a copyright, has not previously been transferred voluntarily by that individual author, no action by any governmental body or other official or organization purporting to seize, expropriate, transfer, or exercise rights of ownership with respect to the copyright, or any of the exclusive rights under a copyright, shall be given effect under this title, except as provided under title 11. [2]

Section 202. Ownership of copyright as distinct from ownership of material object.

Ownership of a copyright, or of any of the exclusive rights under a copyright, is distinct from ownership of any material object in which the work is embodied. Transfer of ownership of any material object, including the copy or phonorecord in which the work is first fixed, does not of itself convey any rights in the copyrighted work embodied in the object; nor, in the absence of an agreement, does transfer of ownership of a copyright or of any exclusive rights under a copyright convey property rights in any material object.

Section 203. Termination of transfers and licenses granted by the author [3]

(a) Conditions for Termination. In the case of any work other than a work made for hire, the exclusive or nonexclusive grant of a transfer or license of copyright or of any right under a copyright, executed by the author on or after January 1, 1978, otherwise than by will, is subject to termination under the following conditions:

(1) In the case of a grant executed by one author, termination of the grant may be effected by that author or, if the author is dead, by the person or persons who, under clause (2) of this subsection, own and are entitled to exercise a total of more than one-half of that author's termination interest. In the case of a grant executed by two or more authors of a joint work, termination of the grant may be effected by a majority of the authors who executed it; if any of such authors is dead, the termination interest of any such author may be exercised as a unit by the person or persons who, under clause (2) of this subsection, own and are entitled to exercise a total of more than one-half of that author's interest.

(2) Where an author is dead, his or her termination interest is owned, and may be exercised, as follows:

(A) the widow or widower owns the author's entire termination interest unless there are any surviving children or grandchildren of the author, in which case the widow or widower owns one-half of the author's interest;

(B) the author's surviving children, and the surviving children of any dead child of the author, own the author's entire termination interest unless there is a widow or widower, in which case the ownership of one- half of the author's interest is divided among them;

(C) the rights of the author's children and grandchildren are in all cases divided among them and exercised on a per stirpes basis according to the number of such author's children represented; the share of the children of a dead child in a termination interest can be exercised only by the action of a majority of them.

(D) In the event that the author's widow or widower, children, and grandchildren are not living, the author's executor, administrator, personal representative, or trustee shall own the author's entire termination interest.

(3) Termination of the grant may be effected at any time during a period of five years beginning at the end of thirty-five years from the date of execution of the grant; or, if the grant covers the right of publication of the work, the period begins at the end of thirty-five years from the date of publication of the work under the grant or at the end of forty years from the date of execution of the grant, whichever term ends earlier.

(4) The termination shall be effected by serving an advance notice in writing, signed by the number and proportion of owners of termination interests required under clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection, or by their duly authorized agents, upon the grantee or the grantee's successor in title.

(A) The notice shall state the effective date of the termination, which shall fall within the five-year period specified by clause (3) of this subsection, and the notice shall be served not less than two or more than ten years before that date. A copy of the notice shall be recorded in the Copyright Office before the effective date of termination, as a condition to its taking effect.

(B) The notice shall comply, in form, content, and manner of service, with requirements that the Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation.

(5) Termination of the grant may be effected notwithstanding any agreement to the contrary, including an agreement to make a will or to make any future grant.

(b) Effect of Termination. Upon the effective date of termination, all rights under this title that were covered by the terminated grants revert to the author, authors, and other persons owning termination interests under clauses (1) and (2) of subsection (a), including those owners who did not join in signing the notice of termination under clause (4) of subsection (a), but with the following limitations:

(1) A derivative work prepared under authority of the grant before its termination may continue to be utilized under the terms of the grant after its termination, but this privilege does not extend to the preparation after the termination of other derivative works based upon the copyrighted work covered by the terminated grant.

(2) The future rights that will revert upon termination of the grant become vested on the date the notice of termination has been served as provided by clause (4) of subsection (a). The rights vest in the author, authors, and other persons named in, and in the proportionate shares provided by, clauses (1) and (2) of subsection (a).

(3) Subject to the provisions of clause (4) of this subsection, a further grant, or agreement to make a further grant, of any right covered by a terminated grant is valid only if it is signed by the same number and proportion of the owners, in whom the right has vested under clause (2) of this subsection, as are required to terminate the grant under clauses (1) and (2) of subsection (a). Such further grant or agreement is effective with respect to all of the persons in whom the right it covers has vested under clause (2) of this subsection, including those who did not join in signing it. If any person dies after rights under a terminated grant have vested in him or her, that person's legal representatives, legatees, or heirs at law represent him or her for purposes of this clause.

(4) A further grant, or agreement to make a further grant, of any right covered by a terminated grant is valid only if it is made after the effective date of the termination. As an exception, however, an agreement for such a further grant may be made between the persons provided by clause (3) of this subsection and the original grantee or such grantee's successor in title, after the notice of termination has been served as provided by clause (4) of subsection (a).

(5) Termination of a grant under this section affects only those rights covered by the grants that arise under this title, and in no way affects rights arising under any other Federal, State, or foreign laws.

(6) Unless and until termination is effected under this section, the grant, if it does not provide otherwise, continues in effect for the term of copyright provided by this title.

Section 204. Execution of transfers of copyright ownership-

(a) A transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or such owner's duly authorized agent.

(b) A certificate of acknowledgment is not required for the validity of a transfer, but is prima facie evidence of the execution of the transfer if-

(1) in the case of a transfer executed in the United States, the certificate is issued by a person authorized to administer oaths within the United States; or

(2) in the case of a transfer executed in a foreign country, the certificate is issued by a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States, or by a person authorized to administer oaths whose authority is proved by a certificate of such an officer.

Section 205. Recordation of transfers and other documents [4]

(a) Conditions for Recordation. Any transfer of copyright ownership or other document pertaining to a copyright may be recorded in the Copyright Office if the document filed for recordation bears the actual signature of the person who executed it, or if it is accompanied by a sworn or official certification that it is a true copy of the original, signed document.

(b) Certificate of Recordation. The Register of Copyrights shall, upon receipt of a document as provided by subsection (a) and of the fee provided by section 708, record the document and return it with a certificate of recordation.

(c) Recordation as Constructive Notice. Recordation of a document in the Copyright Office gives all persons constructive notice of the facts stated in the recorded document, but only if-

(1) the document, or material attached to it, specifically identifies the work to which it pertains so that, after the document is indexed by the Register of Copyrights, it would be revealed by a reasonable search under the title or registration number of the work; and

(2) registration has been made for the work.

(d) Priority Between Conflicting Transfers. As between two conflicting transfers, the one executed first prevails if it is recorded, in the manner required to give constructive notice under subsection (c), within one month after its execution in the United States or within two months after its execution outside the United States, or at any time before recordation in such manner of the later transfer. Otherwise the later transfer prevails if recorded first in such manner, and if taken in good faith, for valuable consideration or on the basis of a binding promise to pay royalties, and without notice of the earlier transfer.

(e) Priority Between Conflicting Transfer of Ownership and Nonexclusive License. A nonexclusive license, whether recorded or not, prevails over a conflicting transfer of copyright ownership if the license is evidenced by a written instrument signed by the owner of the rights licensed or such owner's duly authorized agent, and if

(1) the license was taken before execution of the transfer; or

(2) the license was taken in good faith before recordation of the transfer and without notice of it.

————————— Chapter 2 Endnotes

1 In 1978, section 201(e) was amended by deleting the period at the end and adding ", except as provided under title 11."

2 Title 11 of the *United States Code* is entitled "Bankruptcy."

3 In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act amended section 203 by deleting "by his widow or her widower and his or her grandchildren" from the first sentence in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) and by adding subparagraph (D) to paragraph (2). Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827, 2829.

4 The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 amended section 205 by deleting subsection (d) and redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively. Pub. L. No. 100-568, 102 Stat. 2853, 2857.

————————————————————————————————————

Chapter 3 [1]

Duration of Copyright

+ 301. Preemption with respect to other laws + 302. Duration of copyright: Works created on or after January 1, 1978 + 303. Duration of copyright: Works created but not published or copyrighted before January 1, 1978 + 304. Duration of copyright: Subsisting copyrights + 305. Duration of copyright: Terminal date

Section 301. Preemption with respect to other laws [2]

(a) On and after January 1, 1978, all legal or equitable rights that are equivalent to any of the exclusive rights within the general scope of copyright as specified by section 106 in works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression and come within the subject matter of copyright as specified by sections 102 and 103, whether created before or after that date and whether published or unpublished, are governed exclusively by this title. Thereafter, no person is entitled to any such right or equivalent right in any such work under the common law or statutes of any State.

(b) Nothing in this title annuls or limits any rights or remedies under the common law or statutes of any State with respect to-

(1) subject matter that does not come within the subject matter of copyright as specified by sections 102 and 103, including works of authorship not fixed in any tangible medium of expression; or

(2) any cause of action arising from undertakings commenced before January 1, 1978;

(3) activities violating legal or equitable rights that are not equivalent to any of the exclusive rights within the general scope of copyright as specified by section 106; or

(4) State and local landmarks, historic preservation, zoning, or building codes, relating to architectural works protected under section 102(a)(8).

(c) With respect to sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, any rights or remedies under the common law or statutes of any State shall not be annulled or limited by this title until February 15, 2067. The preemptive provisions of subsection (a) shall apply to any such rights and remedies pertaining to any cause of action arising from undertakings commenced on and after February 15, 2067. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 303, no sound recording fixed before February 15, 1972, shall be subject to copyright under this title before, on, or after February 15, 2067.

(d) Nothing in this title annuls or limits any rights or remedies under any other Federal statute.

(e) The scope of Federal preemption under this section is not affected by the adherence of the United States to the Berne Convention or the satisfaction of obligations of the United States thereunder.

(f)(1) On or after the effective date set forth in section 610(a) of the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, all legal or equitable rights that are equivalent to any of the rights conferred by section 106A with respect to works of visual art to which the rights conferred by section 106A apply are governed exclusively by section 106A and section 113(d) and the provisions of this title relating to such sections. Thereafter, no person is entitled to any such right or equivalent right in any work of visual art under the common law or statutes of any State. [3]

(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) annuls or limits any rights or remedies under the common law or statutes of any State with respect to-

(A) any cause of action from undertakings commenced before the effective date set forth in section 610(a) of the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990;

(B) activities violating legal or equitable rights that are not equivalent to any of the rights conferred by section 106A with respect to works of visual art; or

(C) activities violating legal or equitable rights which extend beyond the life of the author.

Section 302. Duration of copyright: Works created on or after January 1, 1978 [4]

(a) In General. Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and, except as provided by the following subsections, endures for a term consisting of the life of the author and 70 years after the author's death.

(b) Joint Works. In the case of a joint work prepared by two or more authors who did not work for hire, the copyright endures for a term consisting of the life of the last surviving author and 70 years after such last surviving author's death.

(c) Anonymous Works, Pseudonymous Works, and Works Made for Hire. In the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication, or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. If, before the end of such term, the identity of one or more of the authors of an anonymous or pseudonymous work is revealed in the records of a registration made for that work under subsections (a) or (d) of section 408, or in the records provided by this subsection, the copyright in the work endures for the term specified by subsection (a) or (b), based on the life of the author or authors whose identity has been revealed. Any person having an interest in the copyright in an anonymous or pseudonymous work may at any time record, in records to be maintained by the Copyright Office for that purpose, a statement identifying one or more authors of the work; the statement shall also identify the person filing it, the nature of that person's interest, the source of the information recorded, and the particular work affected, and shall comply in form and content with requirements that the Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation.

(d) Records Relating to Death of Authors. Any person having an interest in a copyright may at any time record in the Copyright Office a statement of the date of death of the author of the copyrighted work, or a statement that the author is still living on a particular date. The statement shall identify the person filing it, the nature of that person's interest, and the source of the information recorded, and shall comply in form and content with requirements that the Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation. The Register shall maintain current records of information relating to the death of authors of copyrighted works, based on such recorded statements and, to the extent the Register considers practicable, on data contained in any of the records of the Copyright Office or in other reference sources.

(e) Presumption as to Author's Death. After a period of 95 years from the year of first publication of a work, or a period of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first, any person who obtains from the Copyright Office a certified report that the records provided by subsection (d) disclose nothing to indicate that the author of the work is living, or died less than 70 years before, is entitled to the benefit of a presumption that the author has been dead for at least 70 years. Reliance in good faith upon this presumption shall be a complete defense to any action for infringement under this title.

Section 303. Duration of copyright: Works created but not published or copyrighted before January 1, 1978 [5]

(a) Copyright in a work created before January 1, 1978, but not theretofore in the public domain or copyrighted, subsists from January 1, 1978, and endures for the term provided by section 302. In no case, however, shall the term of copyright in such a work expire before December 31, 2002; and, if the work is published on or before December 31, 2002, the term of copyright shall not expire before December 31, 2047.

(b) The distribution before January 1, 1978, of a phonorecord shall not for any purpose constitute a publication of the musical work embodied therein.

Section 304. Duration of copyright: Subsisting copyrights [6]

(a) Copyrights in Their First Term on January 1, 1978.

(1)(A) Any copyright, in the first term of which is subsisting on January 1, 1978, shall endure for 28 years from the date it was originally secured.

(B) In the case of-

(i) any posthumous work or of any periodical, cyclopedic, or other composite work upon which the copyright was originally secured by the proprietor thereof, or

(ii) any work copyrighted by a corporate body (otherwise than as assignee or licensee of the individual author) or by an employer for whom such work is made for hire,

the proprietor of such copyright shall be entitled to a renewal and extension of the copyright in such work for the further term of 67 years.

(C) In the case of any other copyrighted work, including a contribution by an individual author to a periodical or to a cyclopedic or other composite work-

(i) the author of such work, if the author is still living,

(ii) the widow, widower, or children of the author, if the author is not living,

(iii) the author's executors, if such author, widow, widower, or children are not living, or

(iv) the author's next of kin, in the absence of a will of the author, shall be entitled to a renewal and extension of the copyright in such work for a further term of 67 years.

(2)(A) At the expiration of the original term of copyright in a work specified in paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection, the copyright shall endure for a renewed and extended further term of 67 years, which-

(i) if an application to register a claim to such further term has been made to the Copyright Office within 1 year before the expiration of the original term of copyright, and the claim is registered, shall vest, upon the beginning of such further term, in the proprietor of the copyright who is entitled to claim the renewal of copyright at the time the application is made; or

(ii) if no such application is made or the claim pursuant to such application is not registered, shall vest, upon the beginning of such further term, in the person or entity that was the proprietor of the copyright as of the last day of the original term of copyright.

(B) At the expiration of the original term of copyright in a work specified in paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection, the copyright shall endure for a renewed and extended further term of 67 years, which-

(i) if an application to register a claim to such further term has been made to the Copyright Office within 1 year before the expiration of the original term of copyright, and the claim is registered, shall vest, upon the beginning of such further term, in any person who is entitled under paragraph (1)(C) to the renewal and extension of the copyright at the time the application is made; or

(ii) if no such application is made or the claim pursuant to such application is not registered, shall vest, upon the beginning of such further term, in any person entitled under paragraph (1)(C), as of the last day of the original term of copyright, to the renewal and extension of the copyright.

(3)(A) An application to register a claim to the renewed and extended term of copyright in a work may be made to the Copyright Office-

(i) within 1 year before the expiration of the original term of copyright by any person entitled under paragraph (1)(B) or (C) to such further term of 67 years; and

(ii) at any time during the renewed and extended term by any person in whom such further term vested, under paragraph (2)(A) or (B), or by any successor or assign of such person, if the application is made in the name of such person.

(B) Such an application is not a condition of the renewal and extension of the copyright in a work for a further term of 67 years.

(4)(A) If an application to register a claim to the renewed and extended term of copyright in a work is not made within 1 year before the expiration of the original term of copyright in a work, or if the claim pursuant to such application is not registered, then a derivative work prepared under authority of a grant of a transfer or license of the copyright that is made before the expiration of the original term of copyright may continue to be used under the terms of the grant during the renewed and extended term of copyright without infringing the copyright, except that such use does not extend to the preparation during such renewed and extended term of other derivative works based upon the copyrighted work covered by such grant.

(B) If an application to register a claim to the renewed and extended term of copyright in a work is made within 1 year before its expiration, and the claim is registered, the certificate of such registration shall constitute prima facie evidence as to the validity of the copyright during its renewed and extended term and of the facts stated in the certificate. The evidentiary weight to be accorded the certificates of a registration of a renewed and extended term of copyright made after the end of that 1-year period shall be within the discretion of the court.

(b) Copyrights in Their Renewal Term at the Time of the Effective Date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. [7] Any copyright still in its renewal term at the time that the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act becomes effective shall have a copyright term of 95 years from the date copyright was originally secured. [8]

(c) Termination of Transfers and Licenses Covering Extended Renewal Term. In the case of any copyright subsisting in either its first or renewal term on January 1, 1978, other than a copyright in a work made for hire, the exclusive or nonexclusive grant of a transfer or license of the renewal copyright or any right under it, executed before January 1, 1978, by any of the persons designated by subsection (a)(1)(C) of this section, otherwise than by will, is subject to termination under the following conditions:

(1) In the case of a grant executed by a person or persons other than the author, termination of the grant may be effected by the surviving person or persons who executed it. In the case of a grant executed by one or more of the authors of the work, termination of the grant may be effected, to the extent of a particular author's share in the ownership of the renewal copyright, by the author who executed it or, if such author is dead, by the person or persons who, under clause (2) of this subsection, own and are entitled to exercise a total of more than one- half of that author's termination interest.

(2) Where an author is dead, his or her termination interest is owned, and may be exercised, as follows:

(A) the widow or widower owns the author's entire termination interest unless there are any surviving children or grandchildren of the author, in which case the widow or widower owns one-half of the author's interest;

(B) the author's surviving children, and the surviving children of any dead child of the author, own the author's entire termination interest unless there is a widow or widower, in which case the ownership of one- half of the author's interest is divided among them;

(C) the rights of the author's children and grandchildren are in all cases divided among them and exercised on a per stirpes basis according to the number of such author's children represented; the share of the children of a dead child in a termination interest can be exercised only by the action of a majority of them.

(D) In the event that the author's widow or widower, children, and grandchildren are not living, the author's executor, administrator, personal representative, or trustee shall own the author's entire termination interest.

(3) Termination of the grant may be effected at any time during a period of five years beginning at the end of fifty-six years from the date copyright was originally secured, or beginning on January 1, 1978, whichever is later.

(4) The termination shall be effected by serving an advance notice in writing upon the grantee or the grantee's successor in title. In the case of a grant executed by a person or persons other than the author, the notice shall be signed by all of those entitled to terminate the grant under clause (1) of this subsection, or by their duly authorized agents. In the case of a grant executed by one or more of the authors of the work, the notice as to any one author's share shall be signed by that author or his or her duly authorized agent or, if that author is dead, by the number and proportion of the owners of his or her termination interest required under clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection, or by their duly authorized agents.

(A) The notice shall state the effective date of the termination, which shall fall within the five-year period specified by clause (3) of this subsection, or, in the case of a termination under subsection (d), within the five-year period specified by subsection (d)(2), and the notice shall be served not less than two or more than ten years before that date. A copy of the notice shall be recorded in the Copyright Office before the effective date of termination, as a condition to its taking effect.

(B) The notice shall comply, in form, content, and manner of service, with requirements that the Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation.

(5) Termination of the grant may be effected notwithstanding any agreement to the contrary, including an agreement to make a will or to make any future grant.

(6) In the case of a grant executed by a person or persons other than the author, all rights under this title that were covered by the terminated grant revert, upon the effective date of termination, to all of those entitled to terminate the grant under clause (1) of this subsection. In the case of a grant executed by one or more of the authors of the work, all of a particular author's rights under this title that were covered by the terminated grant revert, upon the effective date of termination, to that author or, if that author is dead, to the persons owning his or her termination interest under clause (2) of this subsection, including those owners who did not join in signing the notice of termination under clause (4) of this subsection. In all cases the reversion of rights is subject to the following limitations:

(A) A derivative work prepared under authority of the grant before its termination may continue to be utilized under the terms of the grant after its termination, but this privilege does not extend to the preparation after the termination of other derivative works based upon the copyrighted work covered by the terminated grant.

(B) The future rights that will revert upon termination of the grant become vested on the date the notice of termination has been served as provided by clause (4) of this subsection.

(C) Where the author's rights revert to two or more persons under clause (2) of this subsection, they shall vest in those persons in the proportionate shares provided by that clause. In such a case, and subject to the provisions of subclause (D) of this clause, a further grant, or agreement to make a further grant, of a particular author's share with respect to any right covered by a terminated grant is valid only if it is signed by the same number and proportion of the owners, in whom the right has vested under this clause, as are required to terminate the grant under clause (2) of this subsection. Such further grant or agreement is effective with respect to all of the persons in whom the right it covers has vested under this subclause, including those who did not join in signing it. If any person dies after rights under a terminated grant have vested in him or her, that person's legal representatives, legatees, or heirs at law represent him or her for purposes of this subclause.

(D) A further grant, or agreement to make a further grant, of any right covered by a terminated grant is valid only if it is made after the effective date of the termination. As an exception, however, an agreement for such a further grant may be made between the author or any of the persons provided by the first sentence of clause (6) of this subsection, or between the persons provided by subclause (C) of this clause, and the original grantee or such grantee's successor in title, after the notice of termination has been served as provided by clause (4) of this subsection.

(E) Termination of a grant under this subsection affects only those rights covered by the grant that arise under this title, and in no way affects rights arising under any other Federal, State, or foreign laws.

(F) Unless and until termination is effected under this subsection, the grant, if it does not provide otherwise, continues in effect for the remainder of the extended renewal term.

(d) Termination Rights Provided in Subsection (c) Which Have Expired on or Before the Effective Date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. In the case of any copyright other than a work made for hire, subsisting in its renewal term on the effective date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act [9] for which the termination right provided in subsection (c) has expired by such date, where the author or owner of the termination right has not previously exercised such termination right, the exclusive or nonexclusive grant of a transfer or license of the renewal copyright or any right under it, executed before January 1, 1978, by any of the persons designated in subsection (a)(1)(C) of this section, other than by will, is subject to termination under the following conditions:

(1) The conditions specified in subsections (c) (1), (2), (4), (5), and (6) of this section apply to terminations of the last 20 years of copyright term as provided by the amendments made by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.

(2) Termination of the grant may be effected at any time during a period of 5 years beginning at the end of 75 years from the date copyright was originally secured.

Section 305. Duration of copyright: Terminal date

All terms of copyright provided by sections 302 through 304 run to the end of the calendar year in which they would otherwise expire.

————————— Chapter 3 Endnotes

1 Private Law 92-60, 85 Stat. 857, effective December 15, 1971, states that:

[A]ny provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, copyright is hereby granted to the trustees under the will of Mary Baker Eddy, their successors, and assigns, in the work "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (entitled also in some editions "Science and Health" or "Science and Health; with a Key to the Scriptures"), by Mary Baker Eddy, including all editions thereof in English and translation heretofore published, or hereafter published by or on behalf of said trustees, their successors or assigns, for a term of seventy-five years from the effective date of this Act or from the date of first publication, whichever is later.

But *cf. United Christian Scientists v. Christian Science Board of Directors, First Church of Christ, Scientist*, 829 F.2d 1152, 4 USPQ2d 1177 (D.C. Cir. 1987) (holding Priv. L. 92-60, 85 Stat. 857, to be unconstitutional because it violates the Establishment Clause).

2 The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 amended section 301 by adding at the end thereof subsection (e). Pub. L. No. 100-568, 102 Stat. 2853, 2857. In 1990, the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act amended section 301(b) by adding at the end thereof paragraph (4). Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5133, 5134. The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 amended section 301 by adding at the end thereof subsection (f). Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5089, 5131. In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act amended section 301 by changing "February 15, 2047" to "February 15, 2067" each place it appeared in subsection (c). Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827.

3 The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, which added subsection (f), states, "Subject to subsection (b) and except as provided in subsection (c), this title and the amendments made by this title take effect 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act," that is, six months after December 1, 1990. Pub. L. No. 101-650, 104 Stat. 5089, 5132. See also endnote 37, chapter 1.

4 In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act amended section 302 by substituting "70" for "fifty," "95" for "seventy-five" and "120" for "one hundred" each place they appeared. Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827.

5 In 1997, section 303 was amended by adding subsection (b). Pub. L. No. 105-80, 111 Stat. 1529, 1534. In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act amended section 303 by substituting "December 31, 2047" for "December 31, 2027." Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827.

6 The Copyright Renewal Act of 1992 amended section 304 by substituting a new subsection (a) and by making a conforming amendment in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of subsection (c). Pub. L. No. 102-307, 106 Stat. 264. The Act, as amended by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, states that the renewal and extension of a copyright for a further term of 67 years "shall have the same effect with respect to any grant, before the effective date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act [October 27, 1998], of a transfer or license of the further term as did the renewal of a copyright before the effective date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act [October 27, 1998] under the law in effect at the time of such grant." The Act also states that the 1992 amendments "shall apply only to those copyrights secured between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977. Copyrights secured before January 1, 1964, shall be governed by the provisions of section 304(a) of title 17, United States Code, as in effect on the day before . . .[enactment on June 26, 1992], except each reference to forty-seven years in such provisions shall be deemed to be 67 years." Pub. L. No. 102-307, 106 Stat. 264, 266, as amended by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827, 2828.

In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act amended section 304 by substituting "67" for "47" wherever it appeared in subsection (a), by substituting a new subsection (b) and by adding subsection (d) at the end thereof. Pub. L. No. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827. That Act also amended subsection 304(c) by deleting "by his widow or her widower and his or her children or grandchildren" from the first sentence of paragraph (2), by adding subparagraph (D) at the end of paragraph (2) and by inserting "or, in the case of a termination under subsection (d), within the five- year period specified by subsection (d)(2)," into the first sentence of subparagraph (4)(A). *Id.*

7 A series of nine Acts of Congress extended until December 31, 1976, previously renewed copyrights in which the renewal term would otherwise have expired between September 19, 1962 and December 31, 1976. The last of these enactments is Pub. L. No. 93-573, 88 Stat. 1873, enacted December 31, 1974, which cites the eight earlier acts. See also section 102 of the Transitional and Supplementary Provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, in Part I of the Appendix. Pub. L. No. 94-553, 90 Stat. 2541.

8 The effective date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act is October 27, 1998.

9 See endnote 8, *supra*.

————————————————————————————————————

Chapter 4

Copyright Notice, Deposit, and Registration

+ 401. Notice of copyright: Visually perceptible copies + 402. Notice of copyright: Phonorecords of sound recordings + 403. Notice of copyright: Publications incorporating United States Government works + 404. Notice of copyright: Contributions to collective works + 405. Notice of copyright: Omission of notice on certain copies and phonorecords + 406. Notice of copyright: Error in name or date on certain copies and phonorecords + 407. Deposit of copies or phonorecords for Library of Congress + 408. Copyright registration in general + 409. Application for copyright registration + 410. Registration of claim and issuance of certificate + 411. Registration and infringement actions + 412. Registration as prerequisite to certain remedies for infringement

Section 401. Notice of copyright: Visually perceptible copies [1]

(a) General Provisions. Whenever a work protected under this title is published in the United States or elsewhere by authority of the copyright owner, a notice of copyright as provided by this section may be placed on publicly distributed copies from which the work can be visually perceived, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

(b) Form of Notice. If a notice appears on the copies, it shall consist of the following three elements:

(1) the symbol (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright", or the abbreviation "Copr."; and

(2) the year of first publication of the work; in the case of compilations or derivative works incorporating previously published material, the year date of first publication of the compilation or derivative work is sufficient. The year date may be omitted where a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with accompanying text matter, if any, is reproduced in or on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or any useful articles; and

(3) the name of the owner of copyright in the work, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner.

(c) Position of Notice. The notice shall be affixed to the copies in such manner and location as to give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright. The Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation, as examples, specific methods of affixation and positions of the notice on various types of works that will satisfy this requirement, but these specifications shall not be considered exhaustive.

(d) Evidentiary Weight of Notice. If a notice of copyright in the form and position specified by this section appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendant's interposition of a defense based on innocent infringement in mitigation of actual or statutory damages, except as provided in the last sentence of section 504(c)(2).

Section 402. Notice of copyright: Phonorecords of sound recordings [2]

(a) General Provisions. Whenever a sound recording protected under this title is published in the United States or elsewhere by authority of the copyright owner, a notice of copyright as provided by this section may be placed on publicly distributed phonorecords of the sound recording.

(b) Form of Notice. If a notice appears on the phonorecords, it shall consist of the following three elements:

(1) the symbol [P in a circle] (the letter P in a circle); and

(2) the year of first publication of the sound recording; and

(3) the name of the owner of copyright in the sound recording, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner; if the producer of the sound recording is named on the phonorecord labels or containers, and if no other name appears in conjunction with the notice, the producer's name shall be considered a part of the notice.

(c) Position of Notice. The notice shall be placed on the surface of the phonorecord, or on the phonorecord label or container, in such manner and location as to give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright.

(d) Evidentiary Weight of Notice. If a notice of copyright in the form and position specified by this section appears on the published phonorecord or phonorecords to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendant's interposition of a defense based on innocent infringement in mitigation of actual or statutory damages, except as provided in the last sentence of section 504(c)(2).

Section 403. Notice of copyright: Publications incorporating United States Government works [3]

Sections 401(d) and 402(d) shall not apply to a work published in copies or phonorecords consisting predominantly of one or more works of the United States Government unless the notice of copyright appearing on the published copies or phonorecords to which a defendant in the copyright infringement suit had access includes a statement identifying, either affirmatively or negatively, those portions of the copies or phonorecords embodying any work or works protected under this title.

Section 404. Notice of copyright: Contributions to collective works [4]

(a) A separate contribution to a collective work may bear its own notice of copyright, as provided by sections 401 through 403. However, a single notice applicable to the collective work as a whole is sufficient to invoke the provisions of section 401(d) or 402(d), as applicable with respect to the separate contributions it contains (not including advertisements inserted on behalf of persons other than the owner of copyright in the collective work), regardless of the ownership of copyright in the contributions and whether or not they have been previously published.

(b) With respect to copies and phonorecords publicly distributed by authority of the copyright owner before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988, where the person named in a single notice applicable to a collective work as a whole is not the owner of copyright in a separate contribution that does not bear its own notice, the case is governed by the provisions of section 406(a).

Section 405. Notice of copyright: Omission of notice on certain copies and phonorecords [5]

(a) Effect of Omission on Copyright. With respect to copies and phonorecords publicly distributed by authority of the copyright owner before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988, the omission of the copyright notice described in sections 401 through 403 from copies or phonorecords publicly distributed by authority of the copyright owner does not invalidate the copyright in a work if-

(1) the notice has been omitted from no more than a relatively small number of copies or phonorecords distributed to the public; or

(2) registration for the work has been made before or is made within five years after the publication without notice, and a reasonable effort is made to add notice to all copies or phonorecords that are distributed to the public in the United States after the omission has been discovered; or

(3) the notice has been omitted in violation of an express requirement in writing that, as a condition of the copyright owner's authorization of the public distribution of copies or phonorecords, they bear the prescribed notice.

(b) Effect of Omission on Innocent Infringers. Any person who innocently infringes a copyright, in reliance upon an authorized copy or phonorecord from which the copyright notice has been omitted and which was publicly distributed by authority of the copyright owner before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988, incurs no liability for actual or statutory damages under section 504 for any infringing acts committed before receiving actual notice that registration for the work has been made under section 408, if such person proves that he or she was misled by the omission of notice. In a suit for infringement in such a case the court may allow or disallow recovery of any of the infringer's profits attributable to the infringement, and may enjoin the continuation of the infringing undertaking or may require, as a condition for permitting the continuation of the infringing undertaking, that the infringer pay the copyright owner a reasonable license fee in an amount and on terms fixed by the court.

(c) Removal of Notice. Protection under this title is not affected by the removal, destruction, or obliteration of the notice, without the authorization of the copyright owner, from any publicly distributed copies or phonorecords.

Section 406. Notice of copyright: Error in name or date on certain copies and phonorecords [6]

(a) Error in Name. With respect to copies and phonorecords publicly distributed by authority of the copyright owner before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988, where the person named in the copyright notice on copies or phonorecords publicly distributed by authority of the copyright owner is not the owner of copyright, the validity and ownership of the copyright are not affected. In such a case, however, any person who innocently begins an undertaking that infringes the copyright has a complete defense to any action for such infringement if such person proves that he or she was misled by the notice and began the undertaking in good faith under a purported transfer or license from the person named therein, unless before the undertaking was begun-

(1) registration for the work had been made in the name of the owner of copyright; or

(2) a document executed by the person named in the notice and showing the ownership of the copyright had been recorded.

The person named in the notice is liable to account to the copyright owner for all receipts from transfers or licenses purportedly made under the copyright by the person named in the notice.

(b) Error in Date. When the year date in the notice on copies or phonorecords distributed before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 by authority of the copyright owner is earlier than the year in which publication first occurred, any period computed from the year of first publication under section 302 is to be computed from the year in the notice. Where the year date is more than one year later than the year in which publication first occurred, the work is considered to have been published without any notice and is governed by the provisions of section 405.

(c) Omission of Name or Date. Where copies or phonorecords publicly distributed before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 by authority of the copyright owner contain no name or no date that could reasonably be considered a part of the notice, the work is considered to have been published without any notice and is governed by the provisions of section 405 as in effect on the day before the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988.

Section 407. Deposit of copies or phonorecords for Library of Congress [7]

(a) Except as provided by subsection (c), and subject to the provisions of subsection (e), the owner of copyright or of the exclusive right of publication in a work published in the United States shall deposit, within three months after the date of such publication-

(1) two complete copies of the best edition; or

(2) if the work is a sound recording, two complete phonorecords of the best edition, together with any printed or other visually perceptible material published with such phonorecords.

Neither the deposit requirements of this subsection nor the acquisition provisions of subsection (e) are conditions of copyright protection.

(b) The required copies or phonorecords shall be deposited in the Copyright Office for the use or disposition of the Library of Congress. The Register of Copyrights shall, when requested by the depositor and upon payment of the fee prescribed by section 708, issue a receipt for the deposit.

(c) The Register of Copyrights may by regulation exempt any categories of material from the deposit requirements of this section, or require deposit of only one copy or phonorecord with respect to any categories. Such regulations shall provide either for complete exemption from the deposit requirements of this section, or for alternative forms of deposit aimed at providing a satisfactory archival record of a work without imposing practical or financial hardships on the depositor, where the individual author is the owner of copyright in a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work and (i) less than five copies of the work have been published, or (ii) the work has been published in a limited edition consisting of numbered copies, the monetary value of which would make the mandatory deposit of two copies of the best edition of the work burdensome, unfair, or unreasonable.

(d) At any time after publication of a work as provided by subsection(a), the Register of Copyrights may make written demand for the required deposit on any of the persons obligated to make the deposit under subsection (a). Unless deposit is made within three months after the demand is received, the person or persons on whom the demand was made are liable-

(1) to a fine of not more than $250 for each work; and

(2) to pay into a specially designated fund in the Library of Congress the total retail price of the copies or phonorecords demanded, or, if no retail price has been fixed, the reasonable cost to the Library of Congress of acquiring them; and

(3) to pay a fine of $2,500, in addition to any fine or liability imposed under clauses (1) and (2), if such person willfully or repeatedly fails or refuses to comply with such a demand.

(e) With respect to transmission programs that have been fixed and transmitted to the public in the United States but have not been published, the Register of Copyrights shall, after consulting with the Librarian of Congress and other interested organizations and officials, establish regulations governing the acquisition, through deposit or otherwise, of copies or phonorecords of such programs for the collections of the Library of Congress.

(1) The Librarian of Congress shall be permitted, under the standards and conditions set forth in such regulations, to make a fixation of a transmission program directly from a transmission to the public, and to reproduce one copy or phonorecord from such fixation for archival purposes.

(2) Such regulations shall also provide standards and procedures by which the Register of Copyrights may make written demand, upon the owner of the right of transmission in the United States, for the deposit of a copy or phonorecord of a specific transmission program. Such deposit may, at the option of the owner of the right of transmission in the United States, be accomplished by gift, by loan for purposes of reproduction, or by sale at a price not to exceed the cost of reproducing and supplying the copy or phonorecord. The regulations established under this clause shall provide reasonable periods of not less than three months for compliance with a demand, and shall allow for extensions of such periods and adjustments in the scope of the demand or the methods for fulfilling it, as reasonably warranted by the circumstances. Willful failure or refusal to comply with the conditions prescribed by such regulations shall subject the owner of the right of transmission in the United States to liability for an amount, not to exceed the cost of reproducing and supplying the copy or phonorecord in question, to be paid into a specially designated fund in the Library of Congress.

(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require the making or retention, for purposes of deposit, of any copy or phonorecord of an unpublished transmission program, the transmission of which occurs before the receipt of a specific written demand as provided by clause (2).

(4) No activity undertaken in compliance with regulations prescribed under clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection shall result in liability if intended solely to assist in the acquisition of copies or phonorecords under this subsection.

Section 408. Copyright registration in general [8]

(a) Registration Permissive. At any time during the subsistence of the first term of copyright in any published or unpublished work in which the copyright was secured before January 1, 1978, and during the subsistence of any copyright secured on or after that date, the owner of copyright or of any exclusive right in the work may obtain registration of the copyright claim by delivering to the Copyright Office the deposit specified by this section, together with the application and fee specified by sections 409 and 708. Such registration is not a condition of copyright protection.

(b) Deposit for Copyright Registration. Except as provided by subsection (c), the material deposited for registration shall include-

(1) in the case of an unpublished work, one complete copy or phonorecord;

(2) in the case of a published work, two complete copies or phonorecords of the best edition;

(3) in the case of a work first published outside the United States, one complete copy or phonorecord as so published;

(4) in the case of a contribution to a collective work, one complete copy or phonorecord of the best edition of the collective work.

Copies or phonorecords deposited for the Library of Congress under section 407 may be used to satisfy the deposit provisions of this section, if they are accompanied by the prescribed application and fee, and by any additional identifying material that the Register may, by regulation, require. The Register shall also prescribe regulations establishing requirements under which copies or phonorecords acquired for the Library of Congress under subsection (e) of section 407, otherwise than by deposit, may be used to satisfy the deposit provisions of this section. (c) Administrative Classification and Optional Deposit. (1) The Register of Copyrights is authorized to specify by regulation the administrative classes into which works are to be placed for purposes of deposit and registration, and the nature of the copies or phonorecords to be deposited in the various classes specified. The regulations may require or permit, for particular classes, the deposit of identifying material instead of copies or phonorecords, the deposit of only one copy or phonorecord where two would normally be required, or a single registration for a group of related works. This administrative classification of works has no significance with respect to the subject matter of copyright or the exclusive rights provided by this title.

(2) Without prejudice to the general authority provided under clause (1), the Register of Copyrights shall establish regulations specifically permitting a single registration for a group of works by the same individual author, all first published as contributions to periodicals, including newspapers, within a twelve-month period, on the basis of a single deposit, application, and registration fee, under the following conditions-

(A) if the deposit consists of one copy of the entire issue of the periodical, or of the entire section in the case of a newspaper, in which each contribution was first published; and