For works published in the United States between 1930-1968, their copyright status is contingent on whether specific “formation” (i.e., copyright notice and copyright renewal) requirements were satisfied for certain years.
Tools to tell you which formation requirements were required each year and tracking copyright renewals:
- Peter Hirtle's Copyright Map - when terms of copyright are active – looks at various copyright time periods of activity.
- Stanford's Copyright Renewal Database - As you might recall, during some time periods, copyright required copyright renewal in order to extend the copyright protection. This database will help you find instances where renewal was not renewed and the work loses its copyright protection and falls in the Public Domain.
- The Copyright Office will check renewal information for you, at a charge of $200 per hour. (Call the Records, Research, and Certification Section at 202-707-6787).
- You can also hire a private copyright search firm to see if a renewal was filed.
- Finally, you may be able to conduct a renewal search yourself. The renewal records for books published from 1923 through 1963 are available online at https://exhibits.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals.
Renewal searches can be conducted at the Copyright Office in Washington D.C. or by visiting one of the many government depository libraries throughout the country.
