COPYRIGHT The fees from copyrights are covered into the Treasury and not applied directly to the maintenance of the Copyright Office. They form a regular revenue of the Government, however, and a net revenue over the direct expenses of the Office, as appears from the following comparison: RECEIPTS Receipts and Fees covered in during the fiscal year 1908-9, as above. $83, 816. 75 expenses The amount expended for salaries ($77,586.52) includes the sum of $4,680 paid in salaries to certain employees who have been classifying and crediting the old deposits received prior to 1897. This expenditure is chargeable to arrears. The current expenses of the Office are therefore considerably more than met by the current receipts. The above statement includes all disbursements except the cost of furniture, of printing, and of binding, but only cash receipts. In addition to cash fees the copyright business brings each year to the Government, in articles deposited, property to the value of many thousands of dollars. During the past fiscal year 217,869 such articles were received. The value of those drawn up into the collections of the Library far exceeded the amount of net cash earnings. The work of the Copyright Office is divided into two parts: (1) The current business, covering applications received since the reorganization of the Office under the Register in 1897; (2) the arrears, the classification, crediting, and indexing of the entries and deposits prior to 1897 (i. e., from 1870, when the copyright business was first placed under the Librarian of Congress). right business On the 9th day of July, 1909, when the report of the Copy- Current copyright Office was submitted, the remittances received up to the third mail of the day had been recorded and acknowledged; the account books of the bookkeeping division were written up and posted to June 30, and the accounts rendered to the Treasury Department were settled up to and including the month of June, while earned fees to June 30, inclusive, had been paid into the Treasury. All copyright applications received up to and including June 30 had been passed upon and refunds made. The total unfinished business for the full twelve years from July 1, 1897, to June 30, 1909, amounts to but $81.66, against a total completed business for the same period of $858,422.75. At the close of business on July 9, 1909, the titles for record had been dated, classified, and numbered to July 2 (inclusive) for books and periodicals and to July 1 for all other classes. All titles had been indexed up to and including June 30. The articles of all classes deposited during the year had been stamped, catalogued, and credited up to the receipts of June 30, inclusive. The Catalogue of Copyright Entries, which since the transfer of its publication from the Treasury Department to the Library of Congress (see Appendix II) has been issued in four separate parts, had been brought forward, in the new series, to Part 1, Group 1, books, etc., Vol. 6, No. 25, June 24; Part 1, Group 2, pamphlets, leaflets, etc., Vol. 6, Nos. 22-25, June; Part 2, periodicals, Vol. 4, Nos. 22-25, June; Part 3, musical compositions, Vol. 4, Nos. 22-25, June; Part 4, engravings, cuts, and prints, etc., Vol. 4, Nos. 22-25, June. The certificate and noncertificate entries had been recorded to June 30, inclusive, and certificates and notices of entry to the same date made, revised, and mailed. Copyright business prior to July 1, 1897 Credited articles to the number of 21,962 had been filed away under year and number, those desired by the Library being forwarded to the shelves for use. In the case of 562 articles, identification and credit could not be made, and they were accordingly indexed and (except those desired by the Library) filed for convenient reference. Titles to the number of 106,738, being the remainder entered prior to July 1, 1897, but heretofore filed only in rough bundles, had been collated, arranged, and permanently filed. During the past twelve years the business done by the Office shows the following: Total number of entries_ Total number of articles deposited__. Total amount of fees received and applied. Total expenditure for service ___ Net receipts above expenses for service. I, 232, 529 2, 153, 919 $858, 422.75 $729, 468. 07 $128, 954.68 During the thirty-nine years since the copyright work became a business of the Library of Congress the total number of entries has been 2,113,385. The new copyright act will considerably increase the burdens of the Office. There may be expected a larger volume of business under it; and there is certain to be a great and difficult labor in interpreting and in making clear to the public its novel requirements. The burden can be met efficiently only by a considerable increase of the staff. On the other hand, the receipts of the Office are equally certain to increase so as fully to cover the additional expenditures for service. |