202.12—Restored copyrights.

(a) General. This section prescribes rules pertaining to the registration of foreign copyright claims which have been restored to copyright protection under section 104A of 17 U.S.C., as amended by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, Public Law 103-465.

(b) Definitions. (1) For the purposes of this section, restored work and source country, have the definition given in the URAA and § 201.33(b) of this chapter.

(2) Descriptive statement for a work embodied solely in machine-readable format is a separate written statement giving the title of the work, nature of the work (for example: computer program, database, videogame, etc.), plus a brief description of the contents or subject matter of the work.

(c) Registration— (1) General. Application, deposit and filing fee for registration of a claim in a restored work under section 104A, as amended, may be submitted to the Copyright Office on or after January 1, 1996. The submission may be a completely electronic submission, with all required elements transmitted to the Office in electronic form; or, the submission may be partially electronic with the application form and fee submitted electronically and the deposit materials sent in physically tangible format(s). If all elements are submitted in physically tangible form, i.e., a completed, printed application form, physically tangible deposit copies/materials, and the appropriate filing fee in check, money order, or deposit account charge, all elements must be placed in the same package and sent to the following address: Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 101 Independence Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000.

(2) GATT form. Application for registration for single works restored to copyright protection under URAA should be made on Form GATT. Form GATT may be submitted by completing Form GATT electronically, submitting the appropriate filing fee electronically, and sending the deposit copies and materials required by paragraph (c)(4) of this section by postal mail; or by printing Form GATT from the Office's website, sending it with the appropriate filing fee and deposit copies and materials required by paragraph (c)(4) of this section in the same package by mail; or by obtaining a Form GATT, completing it, and sending the appropriate filing fee and the deposit copies and materials required by paragraph (c)(4) of this section in the same package by mail. A printed Form GATT may be obtained by calling or writing the Copyright Office Hotline at 202-707-9100. The GATT deposit materials required by paragraph (c)(4) of this section may be submitted for examination and registration electronically. Where, however, the Library of Congress requests a particular work or its identifying material for its collections, the required print deposit materials must be submitted.

(3) Fee— (i) Amount. The filing fee for registering a copyright claim in a restored work is prescribed in § 201.3(c).

(ii) Method of payment— (A) Checks, money orders, or bank drafts. The Copyright Office will accept checks, money orders, or bank drafts made payable to the Register of Copyrights. Remittances must be redeemable without service or exchange fees through a United States institution, must be payable in United States dollars, and must be imprinted with American Banking Association routing numbers. In addition, international money orders, and postal money orders that are negotiable only at a post office are not acceptable. CURRENCY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

(B) Copyright Office Deposit Account. The Copyright Office maintains a system of Deposit Accounts for the convenience of those who frequently use its services. The system allows an individual or firm to establish a Deposit Account in the Copyright Office and to make advance deposits into that account. Deposit Account holders can charge copyright fees against the balance in their accounts instead of sending separate remittances with each request for service. For information on Deposit Accounts please write: Register of Copyrights, Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20559, and request a copy of Circular 5, “How to Open and Maintain a Deposit Account in the Copyright Office.”

(C) Credit cards. For URAA registrations the Copyright Office will accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. Debit cards cannot be accepted for payment. With the registration application, an applicant using a credit card must submit a separate cover letter stating the name of the credit card, the credit card number, the expiration date of the credit card, the total amount authorized and a signature authorizing the Office to charge the fees to the account. To protect the security of the credit card number, the applicant must not write the credit card number on the registration application.

(4) Deposit— (i) General. The deposit for a work registered as a restored work under the amended section 104A, except for those works listed in paragraphs (c)(4) (ii) through (iv) of this section, should consist of one copy or phonorecord which best represents the copyrightable content of the restored work. In descending order of preference, the deposit should be:

(A) The work as first published;

(B) A reprint or re-release of the work as first published;

(D) A revised version which includes a substantial amount of the copyrightable content of the restored work with an indication in writing of the percentage of the restored work appearing in the revision.

(ii) Previously registered works. No deposit is needed for works previously registered in the Copyright Office.

(iii) Works embodied solely in machine-readable format. For works embodied only in machine-readable formats, the deposit requirements are as follows:

(A) One machine-readable copy and a descriptive statement of the work; or

(B) Representative excerpts of the work, such as printouts; or, if the claim extends to audiovisual elements in the work, a videotape of what appears on the screen.

(iv) Pictorial, graphic and sculptural works. With the exception of 3-dimensional works of art, the general deposit preferences specified under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section shall govern. For 3-dimensional works of art, the preferred deposit is one or more photographs of the work, preferably in color.

(v) Special relief. An applicant who is unable to submit any of the preferred deposits may seek an alternative deposit under special relief ( 37 CFR 202.20(d) ). In such a case, the applicant should indicate in writing why the deposit preferences cannot be met, and submit alternative identifying materials clearly showing some portion of the copyrightable contents of the restored work which is the subject of registration.

(vi) Motion pictures. If the deposit is a film print (16 or 35 mm), the applicant should contact the Performing Arts Division of the Registration Program for delivery instructions. The telephone number is: (202) 707-6040; the telefax number is: (202) 707-1236.

(d) Works excluded. Works which are not copyrightable subject matter under title 17 of the U.S. Code, other than sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, shall not be registered as restored copyrights.

Code of Federal Regulations

[60 FR 50422, Sept. 29, 1995, as amended at 64 FR 12902, Mar. 16, 1999; 64 FR 29522, June 1, 1999; 71 FR 31092, June 1, 2006; 72 FR 36888, July 6, 2007; 73 FR 37839, July 2, 2008]