Review Board, Review Board

While the Copyright Office’s Registration Division resolves hundreds of thousands of applications every year, sometimes copyright registrations get complicated.  A small number of applicants appeal the denial of their applications to the Office’s Review Board—the final agency authority on registration refusals.  Copyright protection starts with copyrightability.  The Board’s decisions provide invaluable guidance for all copyright lawyers on the issue of copyrightability and registration.  Peek behind the curtain with three former Review Board members who will explain how the Board operates, spotlight some of its intriguing decisions, and discuss how this often-overlooked body plays an important role in the larger copyright system.