Category: copyright

An abbreviation for the “Visual Arts Division” of the U.S. Copyright Office.

“A ‘useful article’ is an article having an intrinsic utilitarian function that is not merely to portray the appearance of the article or to convey information. An article that is normally a part of a useful article is considered a ‘useful article.’”

Legislation that includes an agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Signed into law December 8, 1994.

An abbreviation for “Uruguay Round Agreements Act.”

A work for which publication, as defined in the Copyright Law, has not occurred.

A registration accommodation by the U.S. Copyright Office for registering a number of unpublished works with one application, one filing fee, and one set of deposit copies.

A registration accommodation by the U.S. Copyright Office for registering multiple works with one application, one filing fee, and one set of deposit copies where the works are physically bundled together by the claimant for distribution to the public as a single, integrated unit and all the works are first published in that integrated unit.

“For purposes of section 411 [of the 1976 Act], a work is a ‘United States work’ only if— in the case of a published work, the work is first published— (A) in the United States; (B) simultaneously in the United States and another treaty party or parties, whose law grants a term of copyright protection… Continue reading United States work

For purposes of copyright registration, “unclaimable material” includes (i) previously published material; (ii) previously registered material; (iii) material that is in the public domain; and/or (iv) copyrightable material that is not owned by the claimant named in the application. If a work contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should exclude that material… Continue reading Unclaimable material

“A ‘treaty party’ is a country or intergovernmental organization other than the United States that is a party to an international agreement.”