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Part 12.4 DOCUMENTS AMENDING COPYRIGHT OFFICE RECORDS

12.4.1

In general.

I.

Regulation §201.5(a). The Regulations of the Copy­right Office 37 C.F.R. §201.5(a)) do not permit correction or cancellation of a Copyright Office registration or other record, but provide that "... it shall be within the discretion of the Register of Copyrights to determine if a particular case justi­fies the placing of an annotation upon record for the purpose of clarification, explanation, or indication that there exists elsewhere in the records, indexes or correspondence files of the Office, infor­mation which has reference to the facts as stated in such record."

II.

Document to correct. amend. or amplify. Where an applicant desires to correct, amend, or amplify a completed Copyright Office record, he may submit for recordation a document giving the pertinent information.

12.4.2

Abandonments.

I.

Statement of abandonment. Although there is no provision in the copyright law for abandoning a copy­right, the Copyright Office will record an affidavit or signed statement of abandonment without offering any opinion as to its legal effect.

II.

Conditions. A statement of abandonment should generally meet the following conditions:

a.

It should be signed by the person in whose name the claim was registered, or by his attorney in­ fact or assignee of record.

b.

It should contain clear words of present abandonment.

c.

It should adequately identify the work with which it deals.

d.

If executed abroad, it should preferably be accompanied by a consular certificate of

acknowledgment.