Guide to Searching Preregistration Records This database contains Preregistration Records approved by the Copyright Office from October 2005 to date

What is Preregistration? Preregistration is a service intended for works that have had a history of prerelease infringement Preregistration is a service intended for works that have had a history of prerelease infringement The purpose is to allow infringement action to be brought before the authorized distribution of a work, and upon full registration, for the copyright owner to receive statutory damages and attorneys' fees in an infringement action The purpose is to allow infringement action to be brought before the authorized distribution of a work, and upon full registration, for the copyright owner to receive statutory damages and attorneys' fees in an infringement action The focus is on infringement of movies, recorded music, and certain other copyrighted materials before copyright owners have the opportunity to market their product The focus is on infringement of movies, recorded music, and certain other copyrighted materials before copyright owners have the opportunity to market their product

Preregistration is Not a Substitute for Registration Preregistration is a means of preserving the ability to satisfy the requirements of sections 411[a] and 412 of the Copyright Act by advising the Copyright Office prior to the publication of a work that the work is being prepared for commercial distribution Preregistration is a means of preserving the ability to satisfy the requirements of sections 411[a] and 412 of the Copyright Act by advising the Copyright Office prior to the publication of a work that the work is being prepared for commercial distribution Registration is required within 1 month after a copyright owner becomes aware of infringement, and no later than 3 months after first publication Registration is required within 1 month after a copyright owner becomes aware of infringement, and no later than 3 months after first publication Preregistration does not mean the Copyright Office will necessarily register the work when an application for registration is submitted Preregistration does not mean the Copyright Office will necessarily register the work when an application for registration is submitted

Conditions for Preregistration Preregistration is for unpublished works only Preregistration is for unpublished works only A work must be in the process of being prepared for commercial distribution in either physical or digital format, e.g., film copies, CDs, computer programs to be sold online A work must be in the process of being prepared for commercial distribution in either physical or digital format, e.g., film copies, CDs, computer programs to be sold online Work must be a type of work determined by the Register of Copyrights to have had a history of infringement prior to authorized commercial distribution Work must be a type of work determined by the Register of Copyrights to have had a history of infringement prior to authorized commercial distribution

Types of Work Eligible for Preregistration Motion pictures Motion pictures Sound recordings Sound recordings Musical compositions Musical compositions Literary works being prepared for publication in book form Literary works being prepared for publication in book form Computer programs/videogames Computer programs/videogames Advertising or marketing photographs Advertising or marketing photographs

Elements Required for Preregistration Completion of the online application. (Preregistration is available online only– no paper forms are available) Completion of the online application. (Preregistration is available online only– no paper forms are available) $100 non-refundable filing fee $100 non-refundable filing fee Detailed and specific description of the work Detailed and specific description of the work Since a copy is not required, the description should contain enough information that a court in an infringement action can be satisfied that the allegedly infringed work is the work described in the application Since a copy is not required, the description should contain enough information that a court in an infringement action can be satisfied that the allegedly infringed work is the work described in the application

Click “Search Records” to access the Copyright Office Catalog

Click “Search Preregistration Records” to Begin

Search Features Available: Keyword searching Keyword searching Basic Search screen and Other Search Options screen for advanced searching Basic Search screen and Other Search Options screen for advanced searching Limit your search by date Limit your search by date Link to online help is available at the top and bottom of each screen Link to online help is available at the top and bottom of each screen

Overview of the Basic Search Screen By using the Basic Search screen you can: Specify the search term Specify the search term Search by either Title, Name, Keyword, Preregistration Number (use the Registration Number index) Search by either Title, Name, Keyword, Preregistration Number (use the Registration Number index)

Basic Search by Title A Title search finds works by title in the exact word order of the title A Title search finds works by title in the exact word order of the title Use this search when the exact title of the work is known Use this search when the exact title of the work is known Type the entire title, or the first few words of the title Type the entire title, or the first few words of the title Omit initial articles, A, An, The, El, La, Das, etc. Omit initial articles, A, An, The, El, La, Das, etc.

Basic Search by Name Search by all names, such as author, claimant, etc. Search by all names, such as author, claimant, etc. To search by a personal name, type the last name first name To search by a personal name, type the last name first name To search by a corporate name, type the name in word order To search by a corporate name, type the name in word order

Basic Search by Keyword A Keyword search finds words, or phrases located anywhere in the record A Keyword search finds words, or phrases located anywhere in the record Use “ ” to surround exact phrases Use “ ” to surround exact phrases Type words or phrases in any order. All words will be searched, including “and”, “the”, etc. Type words or phrases in any order. All words will be searched, including “and”, “the”, etc. Use ? to search for a variation of a word, for example comput? finds compute, computer, computation Use ? to search for a variation of a word, for example comput? finds compute, computer, computation Use + before words that must appear in every record retrieved Use + before words that must appear in every record retrieved Use ! before words that must not appear in any record retrieved Use ! before words that must not appear in any record retrieved Results will be ranked by relevance Results will be ranked by relevance

Basic Search by Preregistration Number All Copyright registration numbers must have a total of 12 characters All Copyright registration numbers must have a total of 12 characters Type 3 letters followed by 9 numbers Type 3 letters followed by 9 numbers Omit spaces and hyphens when typing the number Omit spaces and hyphens when typing the number Add leading zeroes to the numeric portion of the preregistration number Add leading zeroes to the numeric portion of the preregistration number To retrieveType Pre Pre Pre Pre

Setting Search Limits Select methods of limiting your search below. Select methods of limiting your search below. Limit by “Item Type” is not necessary, as the catalog currently contains only Preregistration Records Limit by “Item Type” is not necessary, as the catalog currently contains only Preregistration Records Limit your search by Date in 4 ways Limit your search by Date in 4 ways  Search only one year  Search a range of years  Search for all years before a date  Search for all years after a date Click on “Set Search Limits.” The message “Search limits are in effect until you click on Clear Search Limits” will appear. Click on “Set Search Limits.” The message “Search limits are in effect until you click on Clear Search Limits” will appear. Search limits will remain in effect until you specifically clear them or until you close your browser. Search limits will remain in effect until you specifically clear them or until you close your browser.

To Perform a Search: Type your search term in the “Search for:” box Type your search term in the “Search for:” box Select the type of search from the “Search by:” screen Select the type of search from the “Search by:” screen Click the “Begin Search” button to perform the search Click the “Begin Search” button to perform the search

Click a title to view a record from the titles list display Sample Search Results

Sample Preregistration Record

Overview of “Other Search Options” Search for specific preregistration records without knowing the complete title or full personal or corporate name Search for specific preregistration records without knowing the complete title or full personal or corporate name Search by keyword using Boolean operators to combine or exclude words and phrases Search by keyword using Boolean operators to combine or exclude words and phrases

How to Use “Other Search Options” Type a word or phrase in the “Search for:” box Type a word or phrase in the “Search for:” box Select “all of these”, “any of these”, “as a phrase” from the drop-down list Select “all of these”, “any of these”, “as a phrase” from the drop-down list “All of these”: all of the words you type in the “Search for:” box must appear in the record “All of these”: all of the words you type in the “Search for:” box must appear in the record “Any of these”: at least one of the words you type in the “Search for:” box will appear in the record “Any of these”: at least one of the words you type in the “Search for:” box will appear in the record “As a phrase”: the words you type in the “Search for:” box must appear in the record in the order typed “As a phrase”: the words you type in the “Search for:” box must appear in the record in the order typed Select an index name (Keyword anywhere is the default index and performs the broadest search) Select an index name (Keyword anywhere is the default index and performs the broadest search) Click the “Begin Search” button to perform the search, OR Click the “Begin Search” button to perform the search, OR Click AND, OR, NOT and fill in the next set of “Search for:” boxes Click AND, OR, NOT and fill in the next set of “Search for:” boxes

Boolean Searching Use Boolean operators to search for combinations of words or phrases. Enter Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) in either uppercase or lowercase Use Boolean operators to search for combinations of words or phrases. Enter Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) in either uppercase or lowercase Boolean operators may be used with the Basic Search Command Keyword or with Other Search Options. Boolean operators may be used with the Basic Search Command Keyword or with Other Search Options. Boolean operators may not be used with the Basic Search types Title, Name, Keyword, Registration Number or Document Number Boolean operators may not be used with the Basic Search types Title, Name, Keyword, Registration Number or Document Number

How to Use Boolean Operators AND narrows the search by requiring all terms to be found in the record AND narrows the search by requiring all terms to be found in the record OR broadens the search by retrieving records if one or more of the terms is present OR broadens the search by retrieving records if one or more of the terms is present NOT excludes terms from the search (use carefully, because NOT may eliminate relevant material inadvertently) NOT excludes terms from the search (use carefully, because NOT may eliminate relevant material inadvertently)

Sample Search Search for “inner peace” as “all of these” in a title field and “weiss” as a claimant.

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