Legal obligation of publisher to supply new publications

wannabee · 03-10-2011, 09:01 PM

In Australia it is a requirement by law to send a copy of any new publication to the State Library and the Federal Library for their records. Is it also a legal requirement to do so in the USA and if so who should they be deposited with?

pholy · 03-10-2011, 09:26 PM

I think it is still a requirement in Canada, but not in the US any more. In the US anything written down has a copyright apparently, even your grocery list. I recall a case where a Canadian art book author was objecting to the need to deposit one copy of his fifty hand made books with the government library. I don't know what happened in that case.

Worldwalker · 03-10-2011, 09:29 PM

It's not a requirement in the US. As pholy said, everything, even my grocery list and this post, are copyrighted from the moment of creation. You can file paperwork to prove the creation date, however (useful for court fights) and if that requires a physical book (I'd have to look) it would go to the Library of Congress.

wannabee · 03-10-2011, 09:51 PM

Thanks, I'm familiar with the issues of copyright. I think the Australian Government want it just for the sake of having it. If it's not a legal requirement in the States then I've just saved myself some work.

elcreative · 03-10-2011, 10:22 PM

Still a legal requirement in the UK... several locations including British Library...

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-10-2011, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

It's not a requirement in the US. As pholy said, everything, even my grocery list and this post, are copyrighted from the moment of creation. You can file paperwork to prove the creation date, however (useful for court fights) and if that requires a physical book (I'd have to look) it would go to the Library of Congress.

The U.S. Library of Congress will accept a digital file.

wannabee · 03-10-2011, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcreative

Still a legal requirement in the UK... several locations including British Library...

I suspect the Australian and Canadian requirements were derived from the UK requirement.

HarryT · 03-11-2011, 01:40 AM

Copyright libraries fulfil a very important role; it's a shame if they are being phased out.

Billi · 03-11-2011, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wannabee

In Australia it is a requirement by law to send a copy of any new publication to the State Library and the Federal Library for their records. Is it also a legal requirement to do so in the USA and if so who should they be deposited with?

It's the same here in Germany. Law requires German publishers to send two copies to the National Library and one copy to the Central Library of their Bundesland, I think this is similar to your State Library.

neilmarr · 03-11-2011, 02:29 AM

It's called 'legal deposits'. BeWrite Books sends them to various countries including the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. Usually, I think, a couple of hard copies per library of each title on release, but we also send ebooks now to some. We also send deposit copies to some poetry libraries of our poetry books, though this is more a show of good will than a legal requirement. Cheers. Neil

James_Wilde · 03-11-2011, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wannabee

In Australia it is a requirement by law to send a copy of any new publication to the State Library and the Federal Library for their records.

Wow! Only two? Here in Sweden we have seven, the Royal Library (strange name for the National Library) and six, read it, six, university libraries.

JeremyR · 03-11-2011, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pholy

I think it is still a requirement in Canada, but not in the US any more. In the US anything written down has a copyright apparently, even your grocery list.
case.

Actually though, a list is something you can't copyright in the US.

http://www.csga.com/copyright/lists.php

rogue_librarian · 03-11-2011, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wannabee

In Australia it is a requirement by law to send a copy of any new publication to the State Library and the Federal Library for their records. Is it also a legal requirement to do so in the USA and if so who should they be deposited with?

Yes. They are called deposit libraries. In the US any copyrighted work that is published must be submitted in two copies to the United States Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. (They don't necessarily retain all copies or all books, though.)

In the UK one copy of every book must be sent to the British Library; five other libraries (the Bodleian at Oxford, Cambridge University Library, the National Library of Scotland, the Library of Trinity College / Dublin and the National Library of Wales) are entitled to request a free copy within one year of publication.

HarryT · 03-11-2011, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

Yes. They are called deposit libraries. In the US any copyrighted work that is published must be submitted in two copies to the United States Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. (They don't necessarily retain all copies or all books, though.)

In the UK one copy of every book must be sent to the British Library; five other libraries (the Bodleian at Oxford, Cambridge University Library, the National Library of Scotland, the Library of Trinity College / Dublin and the National Library of Wales) are entitled to request a free copy within one year of publication.

Just for the sake of accuracy, Trinity College Dublin, is not in the UK.

Fbone · 03-11-2011, 03:53 AM

The US Mandatory Deposit section from the LOC.

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/ma...y_deposit.html

03-10-2011, 09:01 PM	#1
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,382 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	Legal obligation of publisher to supply new publications In Australia it is a requirement by law to send a copy of any new publication to the State Library and the Federal Library for their records. Is it also a legal requirement to do so in the USA and if so who should they be deposited with?

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03-10-2011, 09:26 PM	#2
pholy Booklegger Posts: 1,801 Karma: 7999816 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch	I think it is still a requirement in Canada, but not in the US any more. In the US anything written down has a copyright apparently, even your grocery list. I recall a case where a Canadian art book author was objecting to the need to deposit one copy of his fifty hand made books with the government library. I don't know what happened in that case.

03-10-2011, 09:29 PM	#3
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	It's not a requirement in the US. As pholy said, everything, even my grocery list and this post, are copyrighted from the moment of creation. You can file paperwork to prove the creation date, however (useful for court fights) and if that requires a physical book (I'd have to look) it would go to the Library of Congress.

03-10-2011, 09:51 PM	#4
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,382 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	Thanks, I'm familiar with the issues of copyright. I think the Australian Government want it just for the sake of having it. If it's not a legal requirement in the States then I've just saved myself some work.

03-10-2011, 10:22 PM	#5
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	Still a legal requirement in the UK... several locations including British Library...

03-11-2011, 01:40 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Copyright libraries fulfil a very important role; it's a shame if they are being phased out.

03-11-2011, 02:29 AM	#10
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	It's called 'legal deposits'. BeWrite Books sends them to various countries including the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. Usually, I think, a couple of hard copies per library of each title on release, but we also send ebooks now to some. We also send deposit copies to some poetry libraries of our poetry books, though this is more a show of good will than a legal requirement. Cheers. Neil

03-11-2011, 03:53 AM	#15
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,313 Karma: 103930826 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	The US Mandatory Deposit section from the LOC. http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/ma...y_deposit.html