- The means by which the application and copy(ies) were submitted to the Office (e.g., by hand delivery, by first class mail, by registered mail, by certified mail, by private courier, or by electronic submission).
To facilitate the location of the document that is the subject of the request, the letter should provide the following information:
- The title of the first work that is listed in the document.
- The date that the document was submitted to the Office.
- The means by which the document was submitted to the Office (e.g., by hand delivery, by first class mail, by registered mail, by certified mail, or by private courier).
- The amount of the recordation fee that was submitted to the Office and the type of payment (e.g., by deposit account, by check, by credit card, etc.).
- The name of the person or entity who paid the recordation fee.
The letter should be sent to the Office in an envelope that is clearly labeled “Special Handling” together with the special handling fee and, if possible, with a photocopy of the application or a photocopy of the document. The envelope may be delivered in person to the Public Information Office using the procedure described in Section 623.5(B), or it may be delivered by U.S. mail or by private courier using the procedure described in Section 623.5(C).
In some cases, the applicant may be required to pay a search fee if the application or document cannot be located immediately. The fee for this service is set forth in the fee schedule on the Office’s website in the field marked “Retrievals and Copies of Records” (www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html).
623.6 Special Handling Fee
The applicant must pay a special handling fee in addition to the filing fee for the application or the recordation fee for the document in order to expedite the registration or recordation. These fees are set forth in the fee schedule on the Office’s website in the field marked “Special Handling for Registration of Qualified Copyright Claims” and “Special handling of recordation of documents” (www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html). The special handling fee must be paid for each application and for each document for which expedited service is requested and granted.
Once a request for special handling has been granted, the special handling fee is not refundable, regardless of whether the Office issues a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation.
If the applicant requests special handling through the electronic registration system, the special handling fee may be paid with a credit card, a debit card, or an electronic transfer from a checking account, savings account, or a deposit account.
