Register of Copyrights
Encyclopedia
The Register of Copyrights is the director of the United States Copyright Office
within the Library of Congress
, as provided by . The Office has been headed by a Register since 1897. The Register is appointed by, and responsible to, the Librarian of Congress.
Although the title suggests a clerical role, Registers of Copyrights have been responsible for creating the procedures and practices of the Copyright Office and establishing standards for registration of copyright
. They have increasingly been responsible for setting or influencing United States copyright policy. Today the Register is responsible for administering rulemaking procedures and producing authoritative interpretations of some aspects of U.S. copyright law, as well as advising the Librarian of Congress on the triennial proceeding on exceptions to the anticircumvention rules of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
. The Register also routinely testifies before Congress
on copyright policy matters.
Maria A. Pallante is the Register. She is the twelfth appointed register and the fifteenth person to serve in the position. She initially took the position in an acting
capacity following the December 31, 2010 retirement of the previous Register, Marybeth Peters
. On June 1, 2011, Pallante was permanently appointed to the position.
United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. It is used by copyright title searchers who are attempting to clear a chain of title for copyrighted works.The head of...
within the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, as provided by . The Office has been headed by a Register since 1897. The Register is appointed by, and responsible to, the Librarian of Congress.
Although the title suggests a clerical role, Registers of Copyrights have been responsible for creating the procedures and practices of the Copyright Office and establishing standards for registration of copyright
Copyright registration
The purpose of copyright registration is to place on record a verifiable account of the date and content of the work in question, so that in the event of a legal claim, or case of infringement or plagiarism, the copyright owner can produce a copy of the work from an official government...
. They have increasingly been responsible for setting or influencing United States copyright policy. Today the Register is responsible for administering rulemaking procedures and producing authoritative interpretations of some aspects of U.S. copyright law, as well as advising the Librarian of Congress on the triennial proceeding on exceptions to the anticircumvention rules of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
. The Register also routinely testifies before Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on copyright policy matters.
Maria A. Pallante is the Register. She is the twelfth appointed register and the fifteenth person to serve in the position. She initially took the position in an acting
Acting (law)
In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity.*The person does not have a mandate....
capacity following the December 31, 2010 retirement of the previous Register, Marybeth Peters
Marybeth Peters
Marybeth Peters served as the 11th United States Register of Copyrights from August 7, 1994 to December 31, 2010...
. On June 1, 2011, Pallante was permanently appointed to the position.
List of Registers of Copyrights
- Maria PallanteMaria PallanteMaria A. Pallante is the 12th United States Register of Copyrights. She was appointed Acting Register effective January 1, 2011, succeeding Marybeth Peters, who had retired effective December 31, 2010...
, 2011-
- Marybeth PetersMarybeth PetersMarybeth Peters served as the 11th United States Register of Copyrights from August 7, 1994 to December 31, 2010...
, 1994—2010 - Barbara RingerBarbara RingerBarbara Ringer was the first female Register of Copyrights in the United States Copyright Office, an important contributor to United States copyright law in the 20th century, and a key force behind the preparation and passage of the 1976 Copyright Act.-Early life:Barbara Ringer was born in...
, (acting) 1993—1994 - Ralph OmanRalph OmanRalph Oman was born in 1940 in Huntington, New York. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1960-61 and earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from Hamilton College in 1962. From 1962 to 1964, he worked for the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in Saudi Arabia. Oman served...
, 1985—1993 - Donald Curran, (acting) 1985
- David Ladd, 1980—1985
- Barbara RingerBarbara RingerBarbara Ringer was the first female Register of Copyrights in the United States Copyright Office, an important contributor to United States copyright law in the 20th century, and a key force behind the preparation and passage of the 1976 Copyright Act.-Early life:Barbara Ringer was born in...
, 1973—1980 - Abe A. Goldman, (acting) 1973
- George D. Cary, 1971—1973
- Abraham L. Kaminstein, 1960—1971
- Arthur Fisher, 1951—1960
- Sam Bass WarnerSam Bass WarnerSam Bass Warner was the fourth Register of Copyrights in the United States Copyright Office.Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1889, Warner attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School...
, 1945—1951 - Richard Crosby De WolfRichard Crosby De WolfRichard Crosby De Wolf was acting Register of Copyrights from 1944–1945 and one of the first United States copyright law scholars to suggest a completely disjunctive reading of the Copyright Clause....
, (acting) 1944—1945 - Clement Lincoln BouvéClement Lincoln BouvéClement Lincoln Bouvé was the third Register of Copyrights in the United States Copyright Office. He was the first lawyer to serve as Register, and his administration of the Office was marked by attention to the formalities of United States copyright law, including the creation of a legal staff,...
, 1936—1943 - William Lincoln BrownWilliam Lincoln BrownWilliam Lincoln Brown was the second Register of Copyrights in the United States Copyright Office. He presided over the office during a time when Congress was active in proposing copyright legislation in the wake of the 1909 Copyright Act and leading up to the Copyright Act of 1976.Born in...
, 1934—1936 - Thorvald SolbergThorvald SolbergThorvald Solberg was the first Register of Copyrights in the United States Copyright Office. He was a noted authority on copyright and played an instrumental role in shaping the Copyright Act of 1909.-Early life:...
, 1897—1930