Volume 53
Public Law 76–396
To transfer jurisdiction over commercial prints and labels, for the purpose of copyright registration, to the Register of Copyrights.
Approved July 31, 1939
Statutory text
AN ACT
To transfer jurisdiction over commercial prints and labels, for the purpose of copyright registration, to the Register of Copyrights.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That effective at the close of business June 30, 1940, section 3 of the Act entitled “An Act to amend the law relating to patents, trade-marks, and copyrights”, approved June 18, 1874 (17 U. S. C. 63), is hereby repealed, but all original or renewal copyrights effected thereunder shall continue in full force and effect for the balance of the respective unexpired terms, subject to all the rights and remedies accorded by existing copyright law.
Sec. 2.
Section 5 (k) of the Act entitled “An Act to amend and
17 U.S.C. § 5(k).
consolidate the Acts respecting copyright” approved March 4, 1909, is hereby amended to read: “(k) Prints and pictorial illustrations
Commercial prints and labels.
including prints or labels used for articles of merchandise.”
Sec. 3.
That commencing July 1, 1940, the Register of Copyrights
Registration by Register of Copyrights, effective July 1, 1940.
is charged with the registration of claims to copyright properly presented, in all prints and labels published in connection with the sale or advertisement of articles of merchandise, including all claims to
Pending and uncleared claims.
copyright in prints and labels pending in the Patent Office and uncleared at the close of business June 30, 1940. All such pending
Return of applications, fees, etc.
applications and all fees which have been submitted or paid to or into the Patent Office for such pending applications, and all funds deposited and at the close of business June 30, 1940, held in the Patent Office to be applied to copyright business in that Office? shall be returned by the Commissioner of Patents to the applicants. There shall be paid for registering a claim of copyright in any such
Copyright fee.
print or label not a trade-mark $6, which sum shall cover the expense of furnishing a certificate of such registration, under the seal of the Copyright Office, to the claimant of copyright.
Sec. 4.
Subsisting copyrights originally registered in the Patent
Subsisting copyrights originally registered in Patent Office, renewal.
Office prior to July 1, 1940, under the provision of law repealed by section 1 hereof, shall be subject to renewal in behalf of the proprietor upon application made to the Register of Copyrights within one year prior to the expiration of the original term of twenty-eight years.
Approved, July 31, 1939.