Category: Copyright Office

Event: Copyright Matters Program July 29, 2013: Copyright Conversations with the United Kingdom

Posted on by TME in Copyright, Copyright Office, Event

News from the Copyright Office: 

Copyright Matters Program to Take Place July 29, 2013: Copyright Conversations with the United Kingdom

The U.S. Copyright Office will present a Copyright Matters program on July 29, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. Entitled Copyright Conversations with the United Kingdom, the program will be held in the Library of Congress Mumford Room, located on the 6th floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, D.C. Please allow time to enter the building and pass through security. The Mumford Room is accessible through the central elevator bank, closest to Independence Avenue.

The program will feature John Alty, chief executive officer and comptroller general of the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom as well as Neil Feinson, director of international policy and Adam Williams, deputy director of international policy. In a conversation with Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante and senior officials of the U.S. Copyright Office, the panelists will discuss current copyright policy issues facing the United Kingdom and the United States, such as orphan works, extended collective licensing, small claims and recent efforts in both countries to update the copyright legal system for the digital age. The event is free and open to the public.

Additional information is accessible on our Copyright Matters page located at http://www.copyright.gov/copyrightmatters.html.

An author by any other name? — Copyright and Pseudonyms

Posted on by TME in Copyright, Copyright Office, literary

Authors use pen names (a/k/a nom de plume, alias, literary double or pseudonym) for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s to preserve anonymity (because oh what would my boss or the neighbors say??). In other cases, authors use pen names to cross over into other genres (the mystery writer who delves into romance, for example).

Whatever the reason, the question is often asked:

“what happens to my copyright if I don’t use my real name?”

The Copyright Office permits authors to register their work in their given name, a pseudonym or even anonymously.

Below is the official guidance offered by the Copyright Office [last updated December 2011]: Continue reading “An author by any other name? — Copyright and Pseudonyms” →

EVENT: April 26th is World Intellectual Property Day!

Posted on by TME in Copyright, Copyright Office, Event, Intellectual Property, International

Each year, on April 26th, the U.S. Copyright Office celebrates World Intellectual Property Day, an international celebration of the visionary innovation and creative expression fostered by the intellectual property system.

In honor of this worldwide celebration, the U.S. Copyright Office has compiled a comprehensive list of notable dates in copyright history.

Notable Dates in United States Copyright  Continue reading “EVENT: April 26th is World Intellectual Property Day!” →