All works–including literary works, identifying materials, and other materials–deposited into the Copyright Office becomes the property of the United States Government. Even materials that have been refused registration remain the property of the United States Government. Any published phonorecords, copies and other identifiable material deposited to the Register of Copyright are to be available to the Library of Congress’ collections. They are also available to be transferred to another library.
Unpublished works deposited to the Register of Copyright are available to be sent to any collection deposits or for transfer to the National Archives of the United States or to a Federal records center.
Any work submitted to the Register of Copyrights can be subject to an exact reproduction of part or all of the material submitted. The Register of Copyrights can keep the replica in their depository for as long as desired. The reproduction is then transported to the Library of Congress before it is decided if the material will be kept in the depository or destroyed.
Any works not selected to remain in the Library of Congress may be stored in the Copyright Office depository for the longest practical amount of time. No unpublished work shall be destroyed during its term of copyright unless an exact replica exists and the Copyright Office will have access to the replica. Items are held in storage for filing and statistical purposes.
A creator may request the Copyright Office’s retention of a work for the full duration of its copyright term. The Register of Copyrights shall determine and regulate which requests are granted to creators. If a retention is granted, the creator must pay the retention fee.
