Copyright Registrations: Who, What, When, Where, and Why

40 Pages Posted: 26 May 2014 Last revised: 1 Jul 2014

See all articles by Dotan Oliar

Dotan Oliar

University of Virginia School of Law

Nathaniel Pattison

Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics

K. Powell

University of Virginia - School of Law, Alumnus or Degree Candidate Author

Date Written: May 23, 2014

Abstract

The registration records at the U.S. Copyright Office provide a valuable lens on the use and performance of the copyright system, but have not yet been studied systematically. Using an original data set containing all 2.3 million registrations from 2008 to 2012, we provide a snapshot of current patterns of registration. We describe who is registering what, where, when, and why. Our main findings include the types of work being registered, how the registrations of individuals and firms differ, when works are being registered relative to their date of creation and date of publication, the age distribution of authors in different creative fields, and the geographic distribution and concentration of registration claimants.

The registration data collected and reported are superior to those relied upon in prior literature, and should therefore prove useful to lawmakers and scholars wishing to measure the effect of copyright law on creativity or otherwise reform our copyright law.

Keywords: copyright, registration, formalities, empirical, statistical analysis, measure of creativity, geography of creativity

JEL Classification: C8, H4, K23, L5, O34

Suggested Citation

Oliar, Dotan and Pattison, Nathaniel and Powell, K., Copyright Registrations: Who, What, When, Where, and Why (May 23, 2014). 92 Texas Law Review 2211 (2014), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2441378

Dotan Oliar (Contact Author)

University of Virginia School of Law ( email )

580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States
434-924-3219 (Phone)

Nathaniel Pattison

Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics ( email )

3300 Dyer Street, Umphrey Lee Suite 301
Dallas, TX 75275
United States

HOME PAGE: http://pattison-nate.github.io

K. Powell

University of Virginia - School of Law, Alumnus or Degree Candidate Author ( email )

580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

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