Trademark & Copyright Law
On July 30, 1947, U.S. copyright law was codified as Title 17 of the United States Code. More importantly, Arnold Schwarzenegger was born that day, and he’s been in a bunch of copyrighted movies. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On July 22, 1897, Boston book dealer and noted copyright expert Thorvald Solberg was appointed the first Register of Copyrights for the newly-created U.S. Copyright Office. Appointed by John Russell Young, the Librarian of Congress, Solberg served as Register for 33 years, grew the Office from a few clerks to a professional staff of over 100 people, and was an influential voice in the policy and passage of the Copyright Act of 1909. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Public domain, via the U.S. Copyright Office.
On July 13, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the adherence of the United States to the Convention on Literary and Artistic Copyright (the “Buenos Aires Convention”), which was first signed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1910 by the U.S. and 19 Central and South American countries. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On July 10, 1870, San Domingo, a travel account by De Benneville Randolph Keim, was the first work registered for copyright in the Library of Congress.
104 years later, on July 10, 1974, the United States joined the 1971 revision of the Universal Copyright Convention (“UCC”). Originally adopted in Geneva, Switzerland in 1952, the UCC is one of two principal international copyright conventions, the other being the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. The U.S. has been a member of the UCC since 1955, and a member of the Berne Convention since 1989. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On July 8, 1870, the second general revision of U.S. copyright law centralized copyright activities, including registration and deposit, in the Library of Congress. It also extended protection to works of art, gave authors the right to create their own derivative works, including translations and dramatizations, and began the indexing of registration records. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On July 3, 1891, the play Saints and Sinners, written by English dramatist Henry Arthur Jones and published by Macmillan and Co., became the first foreign work registered in the United States. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
In July 1891, records of registered works were published in book form for the first time. This compilation, now called the Catalog of Copyright Entries, was published semi-annually in book form by the U.S. Copyright Office from 1891 through 1978, and on microfiche from 1979 through 1982. Today, all registration records from 1978 to the present are publicly accessible through the Office’s website. More information about obtaining access to copyright registration records is available here. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
For the curious, today marks the one-year anniversary of the Trademarkwise® Blog’s debut and first post. So there’s that.
On July 1, 2007, electronic registration on the U.S. Copyright Office website was made available to the public. The eCO Registration System (“electronic Copyright Office”) offers numerous advantages over traditional paper filings, such as faster application processing, online status tracking, significantly lower fees, more payment options, the ability to upload certain types of works as electronic files, and, of course, the convenience of doing all of the above in your pajamas, if you are so inclined. From the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 30, 1834, the law was amended to require recordation of copyright assignments. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 27, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster that providers of software designed to enable file sharing of copyrighted works may be held liable for copyright infringement that takes place using that software. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 26, 1992, copyright renewal registration became optional. Works copyrighted between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977, are automatically renewed even if registration is not made. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 21, 1788, the U.S. Constitution was ratified. Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 (the Copyright Clause) gives Congress the power to “Promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” This language serves as the constitutional foundation of U.S. copyright law, and gave rise to the first federal copyright act, the Copyright Act of 1790, two years later. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Howard Chandler Christy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
11 score and 5 years ago, on June 17, 1790, John Churchman’s Magnetic Atlas or Variation Chart was the first chart registered under the newly-enacted Copyright Act of 1790, which authorized federal copyright protection for “any map, chart, book or books already printed within these United States” for up to 28 years. Churchman’s chart took its place in U.S. copyright history alongside The Philadelphia Spelling Book, the first book (and first work of any kind) registered under the Act (see an earlier post on this subject here). Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Public domain, via the Library of Congress (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/rbc/rbc0001/2006/2006frank31395//0068r.jpg).
225 years ago, on June 9, 1790, The Philadelphia Spelling Book by John Barry was registered in the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania as the first copyright entry under the newly-enacted Copyright Act of 1790. The statutory term of protection was 14 years, with a renewal period of another 14 years. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Public domain, via Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/item/99172032/).
On June 5, 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the meaning of “work made for hire” under copyright law in Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 4, 1934, William Lincoln Brown, a veteran of the U.S. Copyright Office, was appointed the second Register of Copyrights. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Public domain, via U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 2, 1980, David L. Ladd was appointed the ninth Register of Copyrights. Ladd was the first Register who had also served as Commissioner of Patents. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Public domain, via U.S. Copyright Office.
On June 1, 2011, Maria A. Pallante was appointed the twelfth and current Register of Copyrights. Prior to her appointment as Register, Pallante held senior positions in the Copyright Office, including as acting Register, and at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
By Library of Congress, a U.S. Government agency [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maria_Pallante.jpg).
225 years ago, on May 31, 1790, the first federal copyright law was enacted under Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 (the Copyright Clause) of the new U.S. Constitution, which empowers Congress “[t]o promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” The Copyright Act of 1790 protected books, maps, and charts for a term of 14 years, with the privilege of renewal for another 14 years. Because the U.S. Copyright Office did not yet exist, copyright registration was made in the U.S. district court where the author or proprietor resided. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Public domain, via the U.S. Copyright Office (http://copyright.gov/about/1790-copyright-act.html).
![Kevin McCoy [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/539530d2e4b0e3021538f0db/1438248438091-TYZXT9V46VBLAETPAOI7/image-asset.jpeg)
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