2122.6 (A) Publication of a Motion Picture
Determining whether renewal registration is appropriate may depend on whether a motion picture was first published before 1978. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, publication was generally deemed to have taken place when prints of a film were placed on sale, sold, or distributed to the public, or to film exchanges, film distributors, exhibitors, or broadcasters under a lease or similar arrangement. The U.S. Copyright Office generally considers syndication to be publication.
NOTE: When a motion picture is published, all component elements are published to the extent they are contained within the published motion picture. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.15 (1975).