SIXTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE REGISTER OF COPYRIGHTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30,1963 COPYRIGHT OFFICE The Library of Congress WASHINGTON :1964 -L.C. Card No. 10-35017 This report is reprinted from the -4nnual .Report of llrs Librarian of Congreea for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1963 Contents Frontispiece ...................................................... (facing p . I) General Revision of the Copyright Law .................................... I The Year's Copyright Business ............................................ 2 Percentage of Total Registration in Each Class, Years I gr 3, I 928. I $3 ........ 3 Historical Evolution of the Deposit .Requirements. United States Copyright Laws. 179-199 ........................................................... 4 Official Publications ..................................................... 5 Copyright Contributions to the Library of Congress ........................... .5 Administrative Developments ............................................. 6 Legislative Developments ................................................. 7 Judicial Developments................................................... 9 The Rickover Cast .................................................... 9 Subject Matter of Copyright Protection: Designs and Works of Art .......... 9 Subject Matter of Copyright Protection : Educational Materials ............. 10 Subject .Matter of Copyright Protection: The Field of Entertainment ......... -io Notice of Copyright ................................................... 11 Publication ............................................................ 11 Registration .......................................................... 12 Renewals ............................................................ 12 Infringement and the Scope of Copyright Protection ....................... 13 Unfair Competition and Copyright ...................................... 14 Antitrust and the Nature of Copyright ................................... I4 International Developments ....... : ...................................... 14 CopyrightO&eSt& ................................................... 15 Registration by Subject Matter Classes ..................................... 16 Statement of Gross Cash Receipts, Yearly Fees, Number of Registrations. etc .... 16 Num bcr of Articles Deposited ............................................ '7 Summary of Copyright Business, Fiscal Year I 963 ........................... 18 List of Contracting Berne Union Countries and Accessions and Ratifications to the Universal Copyright Convention .................................. 18 Publications of the Copyright Office ....................................... 21 The C'kht Ofice Report to the Librarian of Congress by the Register of Copyrights General Revision of the Copyright a first term of 28 years, renewable for a Law second term of 48 yean. These recommendations were, as the As the fiscal year began, the program for Report itself made clear, tentative and sub- general revision was approaching a turn- ject to further consideration. At the same ing point. Copyright Law Revision, Re- time, they had not been reached lightly; port of the Regkter of Copyrights on the indeed, they represented "our best thinking General Revision of the U.S. Copyright at the time." To undertake the necessary Law had been ~ublishedfor more than a reevaluation and revision of these recom- year, a considerable body of comments on mendations required a thorough analysis its proposals had been collected, and sev- and review of all the arguments, criticisms, eral meetings had been held to discuss the and comments that had been advanced in recommendations in detail. Some of the connection with them. This process has Report's proposals, as expected, had proved taken a good deal of time. to be extremely controversial, and nearly Any long-range program for legislative all of these were criticized for one reason reform encounters decisive periods that or another. shape its eventual direction. In the fall of Concentrated discussions of the issues 1962 the copyright revision program met raised by the Report were held during a just such a period when its future was 3-day period preceding the Annual Meet- somewhat in doubt. ing of the American Bar Association in San It emerged stronger and better founded Francisco in August 1962. These discus- than before. The Copyright Office, for its sions, which were attended by the Register part, was pressed to reach decisions and to and the Deputy Register of Copyrights and speed up the drafting of a revision statute. the General Counsel of the Copyright Of- On the other side, there was increased red- fice, were most illuminating. In particu- ization of the time and dort needed to lar, they showed the strength of the oppo- produce a bill that has some chance of sition to, and lack of support for, certain enactment. Most important, the growth of the Report's recommendations. It had in respect and understanding on both sides become apparent, for example, that the improved the atmosphere of accommoda- prevailing sentiment favored a single Fed- tion and cooperative effort which, as last eral copyright system, with protection com- year's report pointed out, is essential to mencing upon the creation of a work and general revision. ending 50 yean after the author's death. In November 1962, at the outset of the This view was in direct conflict with the drafting phase of the revision program, the Register's proposal for copyright to begin Copyright Office announced that it was with "public dissemination" and to last for prepared to change its position on some 1 2 REPORT OF THE REGISTER OF COPYRIGHTS, 196 3 debatable questions, and to draft alterna- language as possible. In some cases al- tive language on others. The Register in- ternative sections have been presented for dicated, for example, that the Office was discussion. prepared to revise its recommendations As soon as all of the sections of the first concerning "public dissemination" and the draft have been commented upon by the retention of common law protection, and Panel, a complete review and revision of that "at least one alternative version of our every section in the light of the comments draft bill will adopt the life-plus basis for received will follow. On questions of sub- computing the term-in conjunction with stance a choice will be made between al- a system of notice, deposit, and registration ternatives or, on a few points, an entirely that we consider essential." He also made new approach adopted. The sections must clear that, in order to resolve differences also be substantially redrafted and the lan- with respect to language and substance, a guage boiled down to make the bill simple series of meetings with an enlarged Panel and clear without leaving gaps or making it of Consultants on General Revision would over-generalized. It is hoped that, by the be held at which the draft language would time a final version is ready for introduc- be considered in detail. tion in the Congress, this long and difficult The drafting procedure has been an process of adjustment on matters of sub- arduous one. After dividing the subject stance and of critical scrutiny on matters matter of the copyright statute into seg- of language will have produced a bill that ments roughly corresponding to the chap- will be worthy of widespread and genuine ters of the Register's Report, the Office support. undertook an intensive analysis and evalu- Year's Bun'ness ation of all comments received on a par- The Copyright ticular segment and of any equivalent After passing the quarter-million mark Language in foreign laws and previous revi- in fiscal 1962, copyright registrations rose sion bills. Preliminary draft sections were to an all-time high of 264,845 in 1963. then prepared and were painstakingly re- Completed registrations increased by slight- viewed for both language and content be- ly more than 10,000, or approximately fore being circulated for discussion by the 4 percent. Detailed figures are given in Panel of Consultants. During the fiscal the tab)= at the end of this report. year there were four all-day meetings of The most significant gains last year were the Panel--on January 16, February 24 in all classes of music; total registrations April 11 and June 11, 1963-to discus for musical compositions rose by more than draft sections on copyrightable works, ex- 7 percent, with increases of 9 percent in clusive rights, and ownership. Written published music, 7 percent in unpublished comments on these drafts were also col- music, and 8 percent in foreign music. lected. In addition, officials of the Copy- The accompanying chart, which graphi- right Office participated actively in the dis- cally illustrates how this category has grown cussions of various subcommittees formed to become the largest single class of copy- under the American Bar Association Com- righted material, reflects fluctuations in the mittee on the Program for General Revi- commercial value of various classes of sion of the Copyright Law and of several works over the past 50 years. ad hoe committees formed to discuss par- Substantial gains of 3 percent were also ticular points in issue. shown in registrations of both books and Like the recommendations of the Regis- periodicals. The upward trend in renewal tds Report, the draft sections now being registrations, which began last year, con- circulated and discussed are preliminary tinued with another increase of 5 percent. and experimental. There has been a de- Registrations