The Meaning of a U.S. Copyright Search Result

What The Result of a U.S. Copyright Search Means

There are four possible initial outcomes from your Copyright search.

Result	Registration	Renewal
1. No Registration Found, No Renewal Found
2. Registration Found, No Renewal Found
3. No Registration Found, Renewal Found
4. Registration Found, Renewal Found

How do these results translate into actionable information? What do the results mean?

The U.S. Copyright Office Answer

On the back of every Copyright Search Report the U.S. Copyright Office states "Nothing in a search report should be considered as expressing or implying any opinion... on questions involving the validity of a Copyright, the sufficiency of compliance with legal requirements, the possibility of infringement, or the ownership of rights." (What is a Search Report, U.S. Copyright Office)

The Alexander Media LLC Answer

Although we are not attorneys, and you should consult one for intellectual property questions, and we cannot advise you what to do, we will share with you our reaction for each of these possible search results if we were doing the search for a project of our own.

1. No Registration Found, No Renewal Found

Pre-1978 items are probably public domain, even if the item itself has a Copyright notice. There is a risk the Copyright record(s) are "not found" " . You may also be looking for an item that was given "automatic Copyright " without need of any records.

Later than 1978 items are automatically Copyrighted and no registration or renewal is required, as explained in "The Date Test".

2. Registration Found, No Renewal Found

Pre-1923 items are public domain as explained in "The Date Test".

Pre-1964 items are probably public domain It is possible a renewal record is "not found", but double check The Records Maintenance Unit logs to confirm no renewal. Since these records are not online, this double check must be done in person, at The U.S. Copyright Offices, or you may have a professional researcher do it for you.
Log showing Copyright Renewal in the Records Maintenece Unit

Log showing Copyright Renewal in the Records Maintenece Unit

1964 and later items were automatically renewed (Public Law 102-307) , so there is probably a Copyright in force. But it might be invalid, so see "When a Registration or Renewal is Found".

3. No Registration Found, Renewal Found

This is unlikely but possible, if the original registration is "not found", The majority of the time the searcher overlooked the Copyright registration. A valid renewal will list and reference the original registration, so the searcher can use this information to look again for the registration, or retrieve the original registration from The Records Management Unit, or use the renewal's re-statement of the registration's basic facts to reconstruct the registration. It is a best practice to look for a renewal even if a registration is not found as a double check Original Copyright Registration Form, Bound by Number

Original Copyright Registration Form, Bound by Number

Pre-1923 items are public domain as explained in "The Date Test".

For later items, there is probably a Copyright in force. But it might be invalid, so see "When a Registration or Renewal is Found".

4. Registration Found, Renewal Found

Pre-1923 items are public domain as explained in "The Date Test ".

For later items, the Copyright is probably still in force. But is might be invalid, so see "When a Registration or Renewal is Found".

Understandable Answers on Copyright Questions

A Professional Copyright Search can give you succinct assurance for your Copyright questions.

Next: Quick Copyright Check or Professional Copyright Search

Back to: How To a Do Copyright Search Yourself

or call Scott Tambert at for a free consultation.