Re: Copyright Infringement Happening at Conference Group - Help!

Here's information from Copyright Office circulars, about Library of Congress searches:

For information about Copyright Office searches, see the following Circulars from the U.S. Copyright Office web site:

        <http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/circulars>

1. U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 1b, entitled "Limitations on the Information Furnished by the Copyright Office":

"The Copyright Office cannot:

            -compare for similarities copies of works deposited for
            registration..."

2. U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 22, entitled "How to Investigate the

    Copyright Status of a Work":

"Limitations on Searches:

            -No comparisons: The Copyright Office does not search or
            compare copies of works to determine questions of
            possible infringement or to determine how much two or more
            versions of a work have in common...."



        "Searches not always conclusive:

            -Searches of the Copyright Office catalogs and records are
            useful in helping to determine the copyright status of a
            work, but they cannot be regarded as conclusive in all
            cases...."

3. U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 31, entitled "Ideas, Methods, or

    Systems":

"No Comparative Searches:

            The Copyright Office ordinarily does not compare deposit
            copies or check registration records to determine whether
            works submitted for registration are similar to any material
            for which a registration of a copyright claim has already
            been made.  The records of the Copyright Office may contain
            any number of registrations for works describing or
            illustrating the same idea, method, or system."


   -- Pat McNees
      <pmcnees[_at_]compuserve.com>