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Copyright Office to Launch Online Pre-Registration Service on Nov. 15

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 21, 2005 - 8:18am.
Washington - The U.S. Copyright Office announced on Friday that it will begin allowing content creators to "pre-register" their works, that is, to register for copyright protection before the work is actually completed, through an online service beginning on Nov. 15. The entertainment industry had lobbied for such a service, claiming it needs protection against Internet piracy for works like music albums and motion pictures, which are often leaked while still in the production process. The Copyright Office said that pre-registration will be available for "motion pictures, sound recordings, musical compositions, literary works being prepared for publication in book form, computer programs (including videogames), and advertising or marketing photographs." To be eligible, the creator of the unfinished work "must certify that the work is being prepared for commercial distribution and that he or she has a reasonable expectation that the work will be commercially distributed to the public."
tags: Launches | Copyright Office | Online Pre-Registration |