Circular 41
Copyright Registration of Architectural Works
United States Copyright Office
An architectural work is the design of a building as embodied in any tangible medium of expression, including a building, architectural plans, or drawings. Copyright protects architec-tural works created on or after December 1, 1990. Copyright also protects unconstructed architectural works embodied in unpublished plans or drawings on December 1, 1990, if the design was constructed on or before December 31, 2002.
The Copyright Office may register a claim to copyright in an architectural work if the work is a humanly habitable structure that is intended to be both permanent and station-ary. Examples of works that satisfy this requirement include houses, office buildings, churches, and museums. By contrast, the Office will refuse to register bridges, cloverleaves, dams, walkways, tents, recreational vehicles, or boats (although a house boat that is permanently affixed to a dock may be reg-isterable as an architectural work).
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