• A short description of the type of work [e.g., book, motion picture, stage play, screenplay, musical composition, sound recording, photograph, etc.).
• Copyright registration number(s) and the year of registration (if any].
• Any other data related to the registration.
When requesting a search involving a recorded document, members of the public should provide as much information about the document as possible. The following information (if known] may be helpful:
• The document recordation number(s].
• The title(s] of the work(s] and registration numbers listed in the document (if any].
• The name(s) of the party(ies] who executed the documents].
2406.2(C) Search Fees
The current fees for conducting a search of the Office's public records and for preparing a written report concerning the results of the search are set forth in the Office's fee schedule under the heading "Searches of Records" (www.copyright.gov /docs/ fees.html] .
2406.3 Limitations on Information Available for Searches
Searches conducted by RRCS are not necessarily conclusive, and members of the public should not assume that a work is protected by copyright or in the public domain based on the information or the lack of information in the Office's records. Information concerning a particular work may be incomplete or nonexistent for many reasons, including the following:
• The information provided in the search request may not be complete or specific enough to identify the work.
• The work may be registered under a different title or as a part of a larger work.
• A work may or may not be registered as of the date that the search is conducted, because registration is optional for works created or first published on or after January 1, 1978, and registration for such works may be made at any time during the term of the copyright.
• An unpublished work created before January 1, 1978 may or may not be registered as of the date that the search is conducted, because unpublished works were protected under the common law without the need for registration prior to January 1, 1978.
• A registration for a pre- 1978 work may or may not be renewed as of the date that the search is conducted. A work registered or first published with notice before January 1, 1964 had to be renewed with the U.S. Copyright Office to prevent the work from falling into the public domain. By contrast, this requirement does not
Chapter 2400 : 10
12/22/2014
