Why Can't I Hide All of My Personal Information on a Copyright Filing?

By law, the United States Copyright Office is required to keep all collected information as part of the public record. This means personally identifiable information (PII), like names, dates, addresses, and numbers, can become public record when filing copyright claims with the Copyright Office. The most common PII included on any registration will be your Claimant Name and Address.

What Can I Choose to Show / Hide?

The Copyright Office gives us the option of showing or hiding your Rights and Permissions information. This is contact information intended to be used when a member of the public wishes to use or license your copyrighted work. Rights and Permissions information is especially helpful when you have a publisher, record label, or other representation, who handles your licensing requests for you. While we can choose not to show the Rights and Permission information, your Claimant Name and Address will always be public.

What Can I Do To Protect My Personal Information?

There is currently no way to submit a copyright registration claim without your claimant information. Once registered, it becomes part of the public record and the Copyright Office can change it, but not remove it. If you do not wish to disclose your actual address, the Copyright Office recommends using a P.O. Box or Business Address. 

If you would like to discuss this further with a member of our Copyrighting Team, please Contact Us or call 1-800-360-5192!

For more information from the Copyright Office, please click here: Copyright.gov - Circular 18, Privacy: Copyright Public Records