Search the German catalog of incunabula for early printed books and bibliographic records.
Copyright Card Catalog
The US Copyright Office’s virtual card catalog is a proof of concept for searching its copyright records.
About Copyright Card Catalog
The Virtual Card Catalog is a proof-of-concept site from the U.S. Copyright Office that provides online access to digitized index cards for copyright registrations and ownership records from 1870 through 1977. The cards are presented as JPEG images in six chronological registration indexes, plus separate indexes for assignments, notice of use, commercial prints and labels, and pseudonyms, typically showing author, title, registration number, and effective date.
The records do not include full registration records or copies of deposited works. The images follow the physical filing order and may contain filing errors and corrupt images, browse is limited by raw OCR data, and results should not be relied on for legal matters.
Key features
- Online JPEG images of copyright card records 1870-1977
- Search six registration indexes organized by chronological period
- Browse assignments, notice of use, and commercial prints indexes
- View transfer-of-ownership cards by title, assignee, and assignor
- Enhanced browse using OCR and ICR metadata for 1950-1977
- Identify author, title, registration number, and effective date
Best for: Researchers and others trying to identify original U.S. copyright registration or ownership records from 1870 through 1977.
Good for
- Provides online access to 41.5 million digitized card images
- Organizes records into six chronological registration indexes plus specialized indexes
- Uses OCR and ICR metadata from 1950-1977 cards to enable enhanced browsing
Watch out for
- Does not include full registration records or copies of deposited works
- May contain filing errors and corrupt images from physical filing order
- Results should not be relied on for legal matters
Copyright Card Catalog at a glance
- Website
- copyright.gov/vcc
- Category
- Research & Data › Academic Search
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Copyright Card Catalog FAQ
What years does the catalog cover?
It covers U.S. Copyright Office records from 1870 through 1977, organized into six primary registration indexes.
Does it include complete registration files?
No. It provides index information such as author, title, registration number, and effective date, but not full records or copies of deposited works.
Will the Virtual Card Catalog be developed further?
No. The Office states it is not planning further development, and searchable records are being added in phases to the Copyright Public Records System.
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