- 1). Look for a notice of copyright. If you seek the copyright holder's name, look on the work of art in question. For a story in an anthology, for instance, there will be a list of copyright holders for each of the stories at the beginning of the book. The same holds true for a novel. For music, the name of the copyright holder is typically in parentheses beside the song title or listed on the cover. Works of art will typically have a name lightly painted in the corner of the image.
- 2). Look for an agent or agency name, a production company, or a distribution company. In the event you can't find a clear notice of copyright, you may be able to find contact information on one of these entities. Once you have this contact information, write a short letter introducing yourself, then explain the purpose of the letter (to locate the owner of a particular copyright), and your purpose for wanting the copyright information. In many cases, someone may be able to direct you to the copyright holder of a piece of intellectual property. You may even get lucky and find that the agent or company you contact owns the rights to the material in question.
- 3). Visit the U.S. Copyright Office website and search for a copyright holder. This is the most specific way to accomplish this task. If you have some information in your possession, such as a name for either the work or someone you believe is the holder of the copyright, you can use these terms in your search. This doesn't always yield results, since a work has to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office before you can retrieve the information.
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