§ 202.1 Material not subject to copyright.

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Title 37 CFR: Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights › Chapter II: U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS › Part 202: PREREGISTRATION AND REGISTRATION OF CLAIMS TO COPYRIGHT › § 202.1: § 202.1 Material not subject to copyright.

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

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The following are examples of works not subject to copyright and applications for registration of such works cannot be entertained:

(a) Words and short phrases such as names, titles, and slogans; familiar symbols or designs; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring; mere listing of ingredients or contents;

(b) Ideas, plans, methods, systems, or devices, as distinguished from the particular manner in which they are expressed or described in a writing;

(c) Blank forms, such as time cards, graph paper, account books, diaries, bank checks, scorecards, address books, report forms, order forms and the like, which are designed for recording information and do not in themselves convey information;

(d) Works consisting entirely of information that is common property containing no original authorship, such as, for example: Standard calendars, height and weight charts, tape measures and rulers, schedules of sporting events, and lists or tables taken from public documents or other common sources.

(e) Typeface as typeface.

[24 FR 4956, June 18, 1959, as amended at 38 FR 3045, Feb. 1, 1973; 57 FR 6202, Feb. 21, 1992]

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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