---
name: Copyright Search
description: Search the US Copyright Office public records to verify copyright registrations for books and text works.
read_when:
  - Verifying copyright registration for a book
  - Looking up copyright information for an author
  - Checking if a work is registered with the US Copyright Office
  - Finding registration numbers for published works
metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📚","requires":{"bins":["copyright-search"]}}}
allowed-tools: Bash(copyright-search:*)
---

# Copyright Search

Search the US Copyright Office public records database to verify copyright registrations.

## Quick start

```bash
copyright-search search "Book Title Author Name"
copyright-search search '"Exact Book Title" Author Name'
copyright-search --json search "query" | jq '.data[]'
```

## Commands

### Basic search

```bash
copyright-search search "<query>"              # Search for records
copyright-search search "<query>" --per-page 20  # Get more results
copyright-search search "<query>" --page 2       # Pagination
copyright-search --json search "<query>"         # JSON output for parsing
```

### Search tips

- Use quotes within the query for exact title matches: `'"FUNNY STORY" Emily Henry'`
- Combine title and author for more precise results
- Use `--json` output with `jq` to filter and parse results

## Interpreting results

### Relevant record types

Only consider registrations where the type is one of:
- **Text** (`type_of_work: "text"`)
- **Book** (registration class `TX` or type contains "book")

Ignore other work types like music, sound recordings, motion pictures, etc.

### Verifying the correct record

1. **Claimant verification**: The copyright claimant should be:
   - The author's name, OR
   - A known public entity of the author (e.g., "Emily Henry Books, LLC" for Emily Henry)

2. **ISBN matching**: If multiple results exist and you are uncertain which is correct, ask the user for the ISBN. The ISBN in the record must match exactly.

3. **Date verification**: Publication date and registration date should align with known publication information.

### When results are ambiguous

If you cannot determine the correct record with confidence:
1. Tell the user there are too many results
2. Return the **top 3 most likely** matches with their key details:
   - Title
   - Registration number
   - Registration date
   - Claimant name
   - ISBN (if available)

### Records requiring manual review

Some older records (especially from the card catalog system) contain scanned images rather than structured data. These records will have:
- `system_of_origin: "card_catalog"`
- `link_to_image_url` fields with image links

For these records, inform the user:
> "This record contains scanned images and requires manual review. Registration number: [number]"

## Example workflow

1. User asks: "Is 'Funny Story' by Emily Henry copyrighted?"

2. Search for the work:
```bash
copyright-search --json search '"FUNNY STORY" Emily Henry'
```

3. Parse and verify:
   - Check `type_of_work` is "text"
   - Verify claimant matches author
   - Confirm title and dates

4. Report findings:
   - Registration number
   - Registration date
   - Claimant
   - Publication date

## JSON output structure

Key fields in the response:

```
metadata.hit_count               # Total number of results
data[].hit.title_concatenated    # Work title
data[].hit.registration_number   # Copyright registration number
data[].hit.registration_date     # Date registered
data[].hit.type_of_work          # "text", "music", etc.
data[].hit.claimants_list[]      # Copyright claimants
data[].hit.author_statement_list[] # Author information
data[].hit.isbn[]                # ISBN numbers
data[].hit.publication_date      # Publication date
data[].hit.system_of_origin      # "voyager" or "card_catalog"
data[].hit.link_to_image_url[]   # Image URLs (card catalog records)
```