package to the address specified in space 9 marked “Mail To,” which may be found at the bottom of every paper application.
205 Privacy
The applicant should not provide any private or confidential information in the application that is not required for registration. All of the information that the applicant provides in the application is a permanent part of the public record, and the U.S. Copyright Office generally cannot remove any information from the public record once a registration has been issued.
Section 705(a) of the Copyright Act requires the Register of Copyrights to prepare and maintain “records of deposits, registrations, recordations, and other actions” taken by the Office. 17 U.S.C. § 705(a). Section 705(b) states that all records maintained by the Office in connection with a completed copyright registration “shall be open to public inspection.” 17 U.S.C. § 705(b).
The Office will make the information provided in the application available to the general public upon request, and much of this information will be available on the Internet through the Office’s online database. For an example of the type of information that is typically displayed in the Office’s online database, see www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-privacy.html.
Before submitting an application, an applicant should consider whether to include a birth date, nickname, alias, or other personal information that is not required for registration. For example, providing the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person who should be contacted for permission to use the work is optional, and the Office will accept an application even if an applicant leaves the Rights and Permissions section blank. Although an applicant is encouraged to provide contact information for rights and permission purposes, it is important to understand that if the applicant completes this portion of the application, the Office will include this information in the online database.
If an applicant wants to provide contact information for persons who may be interested in using the work—but does not want to provide a home address or other personal information—the applicant should consider providing the name of a designated agent, a post office box, or a designated email address in the Rights and Permissions field of the application.
206 General Overview of the Examination Process
Once the U.S. Copyright Office receives the application, deposit copy(ies), and filing fee, the application and deposit copy(ies) will be sent to the Registration Program, where together they will be assigned to a registration specialist. The specialist will examine these materials to determine whether the work constitutes copyrightable subject matter and if the applicant has met the other legal and formal requirements, including those set forth in the Copyright Act, the Copyright Office regulations, and the Compendium of U.S.
