example, performances or displays on television, is _*not*_ a
publication no matter how many people are exposed to the work. However,
when copies or phonorecords are offered for sale or lease to a group of
wholesalers, broadcasters, or motion picture theaters, publication does
take place if the purpose is further distribution, public performance,
or public display.

Publication is an important concept in the copyright law for several
reasons:

+ Works that are published in the United States are subject to
mandatory deposit with the Library of Congress. See discussion on
"Mandatory Deposit for Works Published in the United States."

+ Publication of a work can affect the limitations on the exclusive
rights of the copyright owner that are set forth in Title 17, Chap 1
of the law.

+ The year of publication may determine the duration of copyright
protection for anonymous and pseudonymous works (when the author's
identity is not revealed in the records of the Copyright Office) and
for works made for hire.

+ Deposit requirements for registration of published works differ from
those for registration of unpublished works. See discussion on
"Registration Procedures."

+ When a work is published, it may bear a notice of copyright to
identify the year of publication and the name of the copyright owner
and to inform the public that the work is protected by copyright.
Copies of works published before March 1, 1989, must bear the notice
or risk loss of copyright protection. See discussion on "Notice of
Copyright" below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

The use of a copyright notice is no longer required under U. S. law,
although it is often beneficial. Because prior law did contain such a
requirement, however, the use of notice is still relevant to the
copyright status of older works.

Notice was required under the 1976 Copyright Act. This requirement was
eliminated when the United States adhered to the Berne Convention,
effective March 1, 1989. Although works published without notice before
that date could have entered the public domain in the United States, the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) restores copyright in certain
foreign works originally published without notice. For further
information about copyright amendments in the URAA, request Circular 38
[http://www.loc.gov/copyright/c