Copyright registrations for 1976

Copyright registrations from 1976 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.

1976 original copyrights could have renewals filed in 2003 and 2004 (see the Copyright Office database for registrations for these years), but they automatically renewed even if no renewal was filed. Original copyrights for 1976 renewals date from 1948 and 1949. 1948 copyrights could also be renewed in 1975, and 1949 copyrights could also be renewed in 1977. 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. Name and title indexes also appeared in associated volumes, also linked below.

Periodicals: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Part 2 (Periodicals) were published semiannually, and 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.

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 1976
Books, pamphlets, and serials manufactured in the United States 55,766
Books manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 2,854
Books in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 456
Total 59,076
Contributions to newspapers and periodicals 1,393
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 4,201
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given in Part 1]
Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, July-December 1976
Books, pamphlets, and serials manufactured in the United States 57,214
Books manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 3,242
Books in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 410
Total 60,866
Contributions to newspapers and periodicals 1,646
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 4,373
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given in Part 1]
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, January-June 1976
Periodicals manufactured in the United States 48,502
Periodicals manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 586
Periodicals in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 318
Total 49,406
Renewals 1,953
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, July-December 1976
Periodicals manufactured in the United States 50.471
Periodicals manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 588
Periodicals in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 341
Total 51,670
Renewals 2,760
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, January-June 1976
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 854
Class D: Domestic published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 208
Class D: Foreign published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 40
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 2,231
Total 3,333
Renewals, Classes C and D 341
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, July-December 1976
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 1,139
Class D: Domestic published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 349
Class D: Foreign published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 34
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 2,239
Total 3,761
Renewals, Classes C and D 461
Copyright Registrations of Music, January-June 1976
Domestic published musical compositions 7,426
Foreign published musical compositions 2,930
Unpublished music 49,926
Total 60,282
Renewals 6,273
Copyright Registrations of Music, July-December 1976
Domestic published musical compositions 8,044
Foreign published musical compositions 3,372
Unpublished music 52,444
Total 63,860
Renewals 5,480
Copyright Registrations for Maps, January-June 1976
Class F: Domestic published maps 846
Class F: Foreign published maps 1
Total 847
Renewals 140
Copyright Registrations for Maps, July-December 1976
Class F: Domestic published maps 853
Class F: Foreign published maps 1
Total 854
Renewals 387
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, January-June 1976
Class G: Domestic published works of art and designs for works of art 4,139
Class G: Foreign published works of art and designs for works of art 162
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 1,774
Class H: Domestic published reproductions of works of art 2,848
Class H: Foreign published reproductions of works of art 16
Class I: Domestic published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 304
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 198
Class J: Domestic published photographs 650
Class J: Unpublished photographs 228
Class K: Domestic prints and pictorial illustrations 3,087
Class K: Foreign prints and pictorial illustrations 12
Total 13,419
Renewals, Classes G-K 141
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, July-December 1976
Class G: Domestic published works of art and designs for works of art 4,945
Class G: Foreign published works of art and designs for works of art 109
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 2,091
Class H: Domestic published reproductions of works of art 2,746
Class H: Foreign published reproductions of works of art 39
Class I: Domestic published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 348
Class I: Unpublished drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 287
Class J: Domestic published photographs 845
Class J: Unpublished photographs 245
Class K: Domestic prints and pictorial illustrations 3,311
Class K: Foreign prints and pictorial illustrations 24
Total 14,999
Renewals, Classes G-K 274
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, January-December 1976
Domestic published commercial prints and labels 4,688
Foreign published commercial prints and labels 79
Total 4,767
Renewals 55
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures, January-June 1976
Class L: Domestic published motion picture photoplays 1,187
Class L: Foreign published motion picture photoplays 31
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 10
Class M: Domestic published motion pictures other than photoplays 1,003
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 218
Total 2,449
Renewals: Classes L and M 657
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures, July-December 1976
Class L: Domestic published motion picture photoplays 528
Class L: Foreign published motion picture photoplays 4
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 31
Class M: Domestic published motion pictures other than photoplays 885
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 321
Total 1,769
Renewals: Classes L and M 511
Copyright Registrations for Sound Recordings, January-June 1976
Class N: Domestic published sound recordings 4.669
Class N: Foreign published sound recordings 315
Total 4,984
Copyright Registrations for Sound Recordings, July-December 1976
Class N: Domestic published sound recordings 5,018
Class N: Foreign published sound recordings 390
Total 5,408

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 Greg Weeks, with an additional image provided by Juliet Sutherland. 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.)