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Category: Visual Arts

Lightly blue tinted image of the bottoms of a series of marble columns with a silver set of scales, representing the scale of justice in the right foreground. White text in the top right says "Copyright Claims Board" next to a white copy of the U.S. Copyright Office seal

How the Copyright Claims Board Can Lighten the Federal Court Docket

Posted by: Nora Scheland

This post is adapted from an article written by Copyright Claims Officers Brad Newberg, Monica McCabe, and David Carson about how the CCB can help lighten the federal docket that was originally published in The Judges’ Journal, Volume 63, Number 4, Fall 2024.

Illustrative image on left of Native American dancer in regalia by Woody Crumbo. On right, paint brush, and text: Celebrating Native American History Month: The Life and Legacy of Native American Artist Woody Crumbo

Celebrating Native American History Month: The Life and Legacy of Native American Artist Woody Crumbo

Posted by: Ann Tetreault

Since 1990, Americans have recognized November as Native American Heritage Month, celebrating the achievements and honoring the culture and traditions of Native Americans. This month’s feature is creator Woody Crumbo, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Woodrow “Woody” Crumbo was an artist, educator, flutist, flute maker, and dancer who spent his life preserving and …

A person is drawing on a paper. The paper shows a colorful design and illustrations. A speech bubble is above. 

Illustrative Innovation: Celebrating the AAPI Experience Through Graphic Novels

Posted by: Ann Tetreault

  Since 1992, Americans have commemorated May as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. This month, we explore the creativity and innovation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander graphic novelists. Through illustrations and written expression, graphic novels discuss difficult topics and share deep insights on cultural identity in a compelling and approachable way …

Meet Sarah Beth Morgan: An Animation Artist Drawn to Purpose

Posted by: Ashley Tucker

The Copyright Office celebrates Women’s History Month and this year’s theme, “Women who advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion.” As part of this year’s celebration, Copyright Office staff sat down with Sarah Beth Morgan, an animation director, illustrator, and muralist who has practiced art across the country. Morgan attended Savannah College of Art and Design …

Background looks like a brown wooden table. On it, are two beige parchments showing early Copyright laws. On the right are two photographs with white frames around them. One is black and white and shows people working in a file room. The other is a color photograph of an aerial view of the Jefferson and Madison buildings on Capitol Hill

New Learning Engine Video Highlights the History of Copyright

Posted by: Nora Scheland

This blog post introduces the U.S. Copyright Office’s newest Learning Engine video, “History of Copyright,” which chronicles the history of copyright and the Copyright Office. The Office has released the video, and this blog post, timed with the 234th anniversary of the Congressional bill that eventually became the first federal copyright law.

1928 over an hourglass breaking with musical notes and film

Lifecycle of Copyright: 1928 Works in the Public Domain

Posted by: Alison Hall

Every year on January 1, a new class of creative works enters the public domain in the United States. This year, a variety of works published in 1928, ranging from motion pictures to music to books, joined others in the public domain. The public domain has important historical and cultural benefits in the lifecycle of copyright. Here we highlight a selection of works entering the public domain in 2024.

Two pink registration application cards set against a blurred background of a bookshelf in an office suite. Text reads: Over One Million Card Catalog Records Digitized in Copyright Public Records System Pilot, A Copyright: Creativity at Work Blog Post

Over One Million Card Catalog Records Digitized in Copyright Public Records System Pilot

Posted by: Nora Scheland

This summer, the Copyright Office reached a new milestone in our modernization efforts: one million card catalog records have been digitized with searchable metadata and added to the Office’s Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot. Learn more about CPRS, the Office’s digitization efforts, and historical registration application cards in this blog post.

Fingers type on a keyboard while 1s and 0s float around a blue background; text reads: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Listening Sessions

#ICYMI: The Copyright Office Hears from Stakeholders on Important Issues with AI and Copyright

Posted by: Nora Scheland

In April and May 2023, the Copyright Office hosted four public, virtual listening sessions on the use of artificial intelligence to generates works in creative fields. The listening sessions focused on four different categories of works: literary works, including print journalism and software; visual arts; audiovisual works, including video games; and music and sound recordings. This blog post provides a brief recap of the four listening sessions.

Black man sits in front of a desk with three monitors, processing books from a library cart next to him

Copyright Deposit Requirements May Be Easier Than You Think

Posted by: Nora Scheland

The best edition physical deposit requirement for copyright registration has long been a key part of U.S. copyright law, but in recent years, the U.S. Copyright Office has worked to clarify and simplify some of the deposit requirements. This blog post outlines some of the recent changes and where to find more information.