Conduct a comprehensive search to help determine the copyright status and ownership of a creative property such as a motion picture, literary work, television program, screenplay or song.
Service Uses
- Determine the current ownership and registration status of a specified creative property, such as a motion picture, literary work, television program, screenplay or song.
- Secure financing.
- Perform due diligence.
- Satisfy Errors & Omissions insurance requirements.
- Identify transfers of rights and other recorded documents relating to a specific work.
Service Details
The U.S. Copyright Search covers:
- Publication history of specific work.
- Authorship data, including address, death date and information regarding heirs.
- Copyright registrations and renewal status.
- Copyright status and publication history of underlying works.
- Identification of derivative works.
- History of assignments of rights as recorded in the U.S. Copyright Office or entertainment industry publications.
- Licenses and rights information, such as television and video distribution rights, publication or licensed rights.
- Future projects or plans based on the work.
Coverage / Sources
The U.S. Copyright Search uses a comprehensive range of sources including:
- U.S. Copyright records (1870 to present) including registration and renewal data, in-process records and recorded assignment and transfer of ownership information.
- Thomson CompuMark's private reference library and card indices.
- Thomson CompuMark's proprietary databases of entertainment industry reporting since the 1920's.
- Entertainment trade publications.
- Online and CD-ROM entertainment databases
- Library of Congress records, including special collections such as the National Gallery of Art.
- U.S. Original Screenplay or Unexploited Book Search: Receive the same coverage offered in the U.S. Full Copyright Search for original screenplays and books that have never been adapted to film or other media.
- U.S. Character Search: Trace the origins and history of animated, literary, and other characters featured in entertainment properties, including copyright status and assignments, related trademarks and licensing.
- Copyright Screening Search: Search of the Copyright Office registration/renewal data and recorded instruments for a particular work (recommended for music and software).
- U.S. Author/Claimant Search: A complete search of the U.S. Copyright Office records for registrations and renewals, assignments and other documents, and in-process records relating to an author or company.
- U.S. Registration/Renewal Search: Determine the registration and renewal status of a work.
- U.S. Assignment Search: Identify items such as transfers and assignments of rights, licenses, liens, mortgages, security agreements and terminations recorded in the U.S. Copyright Office regarding a specific work or on behalf of an individual or company.
