[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 37, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 37CFR202.23]

[Page 583-585]
 
              TITLE 37--PATENTS, TRADEMARKS, AND COPYRIGHTS
 
                                CONGRESS
 
PART 202_PREREGISTRATION AND REGISTRATION OF CLAIMS TO COPYRIGHT--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 202.23  Full term retention of copyright deposits.

    (a) General. (1) This section prescribes conditions under which a 
request for full term retention, under the control of the Copyright 
Office, of copyright deposits (copies, phonorecords, or identifying 
material) of published works may be made and granted or denied pursuant 
to section 704(e) of title 17 of the United States Code. Only copies, 
phonorecords, or identifying material deposited in connection with 
registration of a claim to copyright under title 17 of the United States 
Code are within the provisions of this section. Only the depositor or 
the copyright owner of

[[Page 584]]

record of the work identified by the copyright deposit, or a duly 
authorized agent of the depositor or copyright owner, may request full 
term retention. A fee for this service is fixed by this section pursuant 
to section 708(a)(11) of title 17 of the United States Code.
    (2) For purposes of this section, under the control of the Copyright 
Office shall mean within the confines of Copyright Office buildings and 
under the control of Copyright Office employees, including retention in 
a Federal records center, but does not include transfer to the Library 
of Congress collections.
    (3) For purposes of this section, full term retention means 
retention for a period of 75 years from the date of publication of the 
work identified by the particular copyright deposit which is retained.
    (4) For purposes of this section, copyright deposit or its plural 
means the copy, phonorecord, or identifying material submitted to the 
Copyright Office in connection with a published work that is 
subsequently registered and made part of the records of the Office.
    (b) Form and content of request for full term retention--(1) Forms. 
The Copyright Office does not provide printed forms for the use of 
persons requesting full term retention of copyright deposits.
    (2) Requests for full term retention must be made in writing 
addressed to the Chief, Information and Records Division of the 
Copyright Office, and shall (i) be signed by or on behalf of the 
depositor or copyright owner of record, and (ii) clearly indicate that 
full term retention is desired.
    (3) The request for full term retention must adequately identify the 
particular copyright deposit to be retained, preferably by including the 
title used in the registration application, the name of the depositor or 
copyright owner of record, the publication date, and, if registration 
was completed earlier, the registration number.
    (c) Conditions under which requests will be granted or denied--(1) 
General. A request that meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this 
section will generally be granted if the copyright deposit for which 
full term retention is requested has been continuously in the custody of 
the Copyright Office and the Library of Congress has not, by the date of 
the request, selected the copyright deposit for its collections.
    (2) Time of request. The request for full term retention of a 
particular copyright deposit may be made at the time of deposit or at 
any time thereafter; however, the request will be granted only if at 
least one copy, phonorecord, or set of identifying material is in the 
custody of the Copyright Office at the time of the request. Where the 
request is made concurrent with the initial deposit of the work for 
registration, the requestor must submit one copy or phonorecord more 
than the number specified in Sec. 202.20 of for the particular work.
    (3) One deposit retained. The Copyright Office will retain no more 
than one copy, phonorecord, or set of identifying material for a given 
registered work.
    (4) Denial of request for full term retention. The Copyright Office 
reserves the right to deny the request for full term retention where:
    (i) The excessive size, fragility, or weight of the deposit would, 
in the sole discretion of the Register of Copyrights, constitute an 
unreasonable storage burden. The request may nevertheless be granted if, 
within 60 calendar days of the original denial of the request, the 
requestor pays the reasonable administrative costs, as fixed in the 
particular case by the Register of Copyrights, of preparing acceptable 
identifying materials for retention in lieu of the actual copyright 
deposit;
    (ii) The Library of Congress has selected for its collections the 
single copyright deposit, or both, if two copies or phonorecords were 
deposited; or
    (iii) Retention would result in a health or safety hazard, in the 
sole judgment of the Register of Copyrights. The request may 
nevertheless be granted if, within 60 calendar days of the original 
denial of the request, the requestor pays the reasonable administrative 
costs, as fixed in the particular case by the Register of Copyrights of 
preparing acceptable identifying materials for retention in lieu of the 
actual copyright deposit.

[[Page 585]]

    (d) Form of copyright deposit. If full term retention is granted, 
the Copyright Office will retain under its control the particular 
copyright deposit used to make registration for the work. Any deposit 
made on or after September 19, 1978, shall satisfy the requirements of 
Sec. Sec. 202.20 and 202.21.
    (e) Fee for full term retention. (1) Pursuant to section 708(a)(11) 
of title 17 of the United States Code, the Register of Copyrights has 
fixed the fee for full term retention, as prescribed in Sec. 201.3(d), 
for each copyright deposit granted full term retention.
    (2) A check or money order in the amount prescribed in Sec. 
201.3(d) payable to the Register of Copyrights, must be received in the 
Copyright Office within 60 calendar days from the date of mailing of the 
Copyright Office's notification to the requestor that full term 
retention has been granted for a particular copyright deposit.
    (3) The Copyright Office will issue a receipt acknowledging payment 
of the fee and identifying the copyright deposit for which full term 
retention has been granted.
    (f) Selection by Library of Congress--(1) General. All published 
copyright deposits are available for selection by the Library of 
Congress until the Copyright Office has formally granted a request for 
full term retention. Unless the requestor has deposited the additional 
copy or phonorecord specified by paragraph (c)(2) of this section, the 
Copyright Office will not process a request for full term retention 
submitted concurrent with a copyright registration application and 
deposit, until the Library of Congress has had a reasonable amount of 
time to make its selection determination.
    (2) A request for full term retention made at the time of deposit of 
a published work does not affect the right of the Library to select one 
or both of the copyright deposits.
    (3) If one copyright deposit is selected, the second deposit, if 
any, will be used for full term retention.
    (4) If both copyright deposits are selected, or, in the case where 
the single deposit made is selected, full term retention will be granted 
only if the additional copy or phonorecord specified by paragraph (c)(2) 
was deposited.
    (g) Termination of full term storage. Full term storage will cease 
75 years after the date of publication of the work identified by the 
copyright deposit retained, and the copyright deposit will be disposed 
of in accordance with section 704, paragraphs (b) through (d), of title 
17 of the United States Code.

[52 FR 28822, Aug. 4, 1987, as amended at 60 FR 34168, June 30, 1995; 63 
FR 29139, May 28, 1998; 64 FR 29522, June 1, 1999; 64 FR 36575, July 7, 
1999; 65 FR 39819, June 28, 2000; 73 FR 37839, July 2, 2008]