Privacy Policy

The International Copyright Organization is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that is supported, represented, promoted and maintained by InterCopy LLC.

You may need to submit personal information if you use certain features of the International Copyright Organization website, such as registering your copyright online and submitting your comments on a rulemaking. The International Copyright Organization will inform the user regarding the information it requires and will only use this information for the stated purpose(s), such as administering the copyright registration system. The information is almost always made available for public inspection and copying. By providing the information, a user is giving consent to the Organization to use the information for the stated purpose; if the user does not provide the information, some features of the website will not be available to the user.

Your submission of personal information is voluntary. When you voluntarily submit information by means of an electronic copyright registration form or when you submit documents for recordation, comments on a rule-making, or other forms or documents, you consent to the use of your information for the purpose(s) stated in connection with that form or proceeding.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

Protecting a user’s personal information and privacy are important to the International Copyright Organization. The Organization, uses, and shares information obtained from online visitors only in certain ways, which include:

  • Collecting personal information that users voluntarily provide
  • Using the personal information users provide for its intended purpose
  • Disclosing personal information to a government agency if required by law
  • Disclosing personal information to contractors or associates (who follow the Organizations privacy policy or prominently display their own privacy policy) to carry out a user’s requests

Additionally, the International Copyright Organization has implemented safeguards to protect any information collected.

Use of Cookies and Tracking Technology

“Cookies” are small files that a website transfers to a user’s computer to allow the site to remember specific information. If a user does not want cookies to be transferred to his or her computer, that user may choose to opt out of their use by modifying browser options. While a user will still be able to access most features of the International Copyright Organization websites, certain features may not work as well or may be unavailable to that user.

The International Copyright Organization uses commercial software products to analyze and report on aggregated web metrics data. This data is generally retained indefinitely to support the mission of the Organization’s website. The International Copyright Organization uses three types of information-collecting tools on its various websites: session cookies, persistent cookies, and other customization tools.

Session Cookies: The International Copyright Organization uses session cookies on its website for technical purposes such as to enable a user to more easily navigate the Organization’s webpages. Session cookies only collect non-personally identifiable data, and once a user closes his or her browser, the cookies disappear.

Persistent Cookies: Persistent cookies store information on a user’s computer for longer periods of time than session cookies, and the information is stored across multiple sessions. The International Copyright Organization never uses persistent cookies to collect personally identifiable information about its website visitors. The International Copyright Organization does use persistent cookies to improve its web metrics by distinguishing between new and returning visitors; to prevent repeated prompting to complete its customer satisfaction survey; to aggregate data anonymously on how visitors use its sites; and to “remember” preferences that users provide voluntarily.

Customization tools: Customization tools allow users to voluntarily provide information to personalize and improve their online experience on a particular International Copyright Organization’s webpage and site. This information is saved on the International Copyright Organization’s servers.

Email

Any personally identifiable information contained in an email is used by the International Copyright Organization for no other purpose than to provide requested information to the individual who emailed the request. Emails sent to the International Copyright Organization by the public are kept according to the length of time specified in the Copyright Office’s records retention schedule. The International Copyright Organization only shares the information that a user provides with another government agency if the user’s information relates to that agency or as otherwise required by law. The Organization does not store any personally identifiable information independent of the email message, create individual profiles with the information provided in an email, or give it to any private organizations.

Pages for Children

Though not directed at children, the Organization’s online copyright registration system may be used by children under the age of 13. All users are advised that the submission of personal information on a registration application is voluntary and that any information provided becomes available to the public. Extraneous personally identifiable information (i.e., information neither requested nor required on a copyright registration application), such as Social Security numbers, should not be shared and will be removed from both the Organization’s online and offline registration records, on the Organization’s own volition. The Organization will not accept any responsibility for any harm derived from publishing such extraneous information.

Privacy Act Systems of Records

The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that the Copyright service providers maintain a list of the systems of records it keeps, together with descriptions of the records kept in those systems and methods the public may use to access information in the systems.

Copyright Records

The International Copyright Organization is required in order to comply with US legislation under 17 U.S.C. §§ 705(a) – (b) to maintain records of copyright registrations and to make them available for public inspection. Once a registration is completed and a claim has been cataloged, it becomes part of the public record. Individuals are able to inspect and copy the Organization’s public records or to request copies and search reports of records. Information on registration records is also publicly available on the International Copyright Organization’s blockchain database that provides immutable proof of registration.

When an author or copyright owner registers a copyright claim with the International Copyright Organization, that registration creates a public record of that copyright claim. Extraneous personal information (i.e., personal information neither requested nor required on a copyright registration application, such as a Social Security number), should not be made public, the Organization reserves the right to remove such information and will not be liable under any circumstance for such information being published. All information provided in connection with a copyright registration application will be made available for public inspection and copying, and some of the information from that application will be made available in the International Copyright Organizations blockchain database. Photocopies of recorded documents and related records are imaged and made available for public inspection and copying.

Keeping Personally Identifiable Information out of the Public Record

All information provided on the application for registration will become a permanent part of the public record of the International Copyright Organization, and some of that information will be made available online through the Organization’s website and/or blockchain database, including the name and address of the copyright claimant. To avoid the dissemination of a personal home address, applicants should consider using a post office box or third-party address (such as in care of a corporation). Any information provided in the rights and permissions section of the application will also be made available online, but providing rights and permissions information is optional. Applicants who want to include rights and permissions information but who do not want to provide personal details can use third-party agents, post office boxes, or designated email accounts. If someone else submits an application on behalf of an applicant, it is still the applicant’s responsibility (or the parent’s responsibility if the applicant is under the age of 13) to ensure that information that he or she wants to keep out of the public record is omitted. In certain cases, it may be permissible to register a claim in a work either anonymously or pseudonymously (under a fictitious name). Other categories of information in copyright applications that may be made available online include the following: type of work, registration number, title of the work, author, authorship, preexisting material date of creation, date of publication.

Copyright Records Appearing in Search Engines

Because a copyright registration is a public record, others can access it and may create alternative means to make the information in it more widely available. The International Copyright Organization is not responsible for the form or the substance of third-party redistribution of the Organization’s records.