USCO
Law & Legal abbreviation · Intellectual Property
| Stands for | United States Copyright Office |
|---|---|
| Categories | Law & Legal |
USCO stands for United States Copyright Office, an intellectual property abbreviation.
Federal agency within the Library of Congress that registers copyright claims, records transfers and other documents, and advises Congress on copyright policy. Registration is required before suing for infringement of a US work.
Example: The photographer registered the image with the USCO before filing suit against the website.
Usage notes
Timely registration, within three months of publication or before infringement begins, makes statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement and attorney fees available. Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com (2019) held that a suit requires the Office to have acted on the application. The Office has issued guidance on works containing AI-generated material.
Related abbreviations
More intellectual property abbreviations
- BRI – Broadest reasonable interpretation
- CBM – Covered business method review
- CC – Creative Commons
- CC BY – Creative Commons Attribution License
- CC0 – Creative Commons Zero
- CCB – Copyright Claims Board
- CIP – Continuation-in-part
- CNIPA – China National Intellectual Property Administration
- Copr. – Copyright
- DOE – Doctrine of equivalents
- EPC – European Patent Convention
- EPO – European Patent Office
See all 50 intellectual property abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.