Copyright registrations for 1973

Copyright registrations from 1973 are available from this page. Registrations were classified by category, with renewals included in the same volume as original registration in most cases.

The following types of records are available here:

A guide to abbreviations used in the records is now available, as are some summary statistics.

1973 original copyrights could have renewals filed in 2000 and 2001 (see the Copyright Office database for registrations for these years), but they automatically renewed even if no renewal was filed. Original copyrights for 1973 renewals date from 1945 and 1946. 1945 copyrights could also be renewed in 1972, and 1946 copyrights could also be renewed in 1974. To find out more about researching copyright renewals, see this page.

To see if a book can go online, you may have to check not only the "Books" category, but also the "periodicals" category, if parts of the book first appeared in a periodical, and the "artwork" category if you want to scan any of the illustrations. If the book is a play, or a set of lectures or addresses, check the "Drama and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery" category too.

Books and Contributions to periodicals: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Part 1 (Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations. The January-June registrations were listed by name, with a title index in a separate volume. The July-December registrations were listed in rough order of processing, with an index to names and titles in a separate volume.

Periodicals: Original registrations and renewals

The annual volume for part 2 (Periodicals) included both original and renewal registrations.

Drama: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Parts 3-4 (Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Music: Original registrations and renewals

Maps: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Part 6 (Maps and Atlases) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Artwork: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for parts 7-11A (Works of Art; Reproductions of Works of Art; Scientific and Technical Drawings; Photographic Works; Prints and Pictorial Illustrations) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Commercial prints and labels: Original registrations and renewals

The annual volume for part 11B (Commercial Prints and Labels) included both original and renewal registrations.

Motion pictures: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Parts 12 and 13 (Motion Pictures) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations. The Internet Archive copy includes both volumes bound together, and Project Gutenberg also has a transcription of both volumes. See also the following selections:

Sound recordings

The volumes for Part 14 (Sound Recordings) were published semiannually. As copyright registration for sound recordings only began in the 1970s, there were no renewals made this year.

Summary statistics

Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, January-June 1973
Books, pamphlets, and serials manufactured in the United States 52,784
Books manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 3,153
Books in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 290
Total 56,227
Contributions to newspapers and periodicals 1,077
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 3,851
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given in Part 1]
Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, July-December 1973
Books, pamphlets, and serials manufactured in the United States 45,640
Books manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 3,095
Books in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 310
Total 49,045
Contributions to newspapers and periodicals 1,030
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 7,575
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given in Part 1]
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, January-December 1973
Periodicals manufactured in the United States 89,055
Periodicals manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 955
Periodicals in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 877
Total 90,887
Renewals 6,940
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, January-June 1973
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 885
Class D: Domestic published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 273
Class D: Foreign published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 62
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 1,791
Total 3,011
Renewals, Classes C and D 285
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, July-December 1973
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 717
Class D: Domestic published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 244
Class D: Foreign published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 56
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 1,615
Total 2,632
Renewals, Classes C and D 712
Copyright Registrations of Music, January-June 1973
Domestic published musical compositions 6,787
Foreign published musical compositions 4,501
Unpublished music 39,137
Total 50,425
Renewals 4,996
Copyright Registrations of Music, July-December 1973
Domestic published musical compositions 6,137
Foreign published musical compositions 3,815
Unpublished music 38,232
Total 48,184
Renewals 9,554
Copyright Registrations for Maps, January-June 1973
Class F: Domestic published maps 1,075
Class F: Foreign published maps 51
Total 1,126
Renewals 44
Copyright Registrations for Maps, July-December 1973
Class F: Domestic published maps 614
Total 614
Renewals 140
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, January-June 1973
Class G: Domestic published works of art and designs for works of art 3,234
Class G: Foreign published works of art and designs for works of art 70
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 1,197
Class H: Domestic published reproductions of works of art 1,462
Class H: Foreign published reproductions of works of art 25
Class I: Domestic published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 410
Class I: Unpublished drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 195
Class J: Domestic published photographs 610
Class J: Foreign published photographs 1
Class J: Unpublished photographs 148
Class K: Domestic prints and pictorial illustrations 2,467
Class K: Foreign prints and pictorial illustrations 3
Total 9,822
Renewals, Classes G-K 255
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, July-December 1973
Class G: Domestic published works of art and designs for works of art 2,906
Class G: Foreign published works of art and designs for works of art 49
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 1,132
Class H: Domestic published reproductions of works of art 1,734
Class H: Foreign published reproductions of works of art 30
Class I: Domestic published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 231
Class I: Foreign published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 1
Class I: Unpublished drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 174
Class J: Domestic published photographs 606
Class J: Unpublished photographs 117
Class K: Domestic prints and pictorial illustrations 2,217
Class K: Foreign prints and pictorial illustrations 26
Total 9,223
Renewals, Classes G-K 403
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, January-December 1973
Domestic published commercial prints and labels 4,984
Foreign published commercial prints and labels 29
Total 5,013
Renewals 38
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures, January-June 1973
Class L: Domestic published motion picture photoplays 952
Class L: Foreign published motion picture photoplays 13
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 13
Class M: Domestic published motion pictures other than photoplays 756
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 142
Total 1,876
Renewals: Classes L and M 623
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures, July-December 1973
Class L: Domestic published motion picture photoplays 558
Class L: Foreign published motion picture photoplays 4
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 10
Class M: Domestic published motion pictures other than photoplays 597
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 213
Total 1,382
Renewals: Classes L and M 1,186

The above figures show original and renewal registrations for the categories shown above for the time periods shown, but do not necessarily represent the exact number of entries in these issues of the Catalog.

Catalog pages for this year were scanned by the Copyright Office, by Google, by the Universal Library Project, by Penn's Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image (with volumes loaned from the Free Library of Philadelphia), and by John Mark Ockerbloom. If you would like to contribute better copies, email onlinebooks@pobox.upenn.edu. (Please don't send any images by email unless I ask for them.)