http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1a.html -- Role of Copyright Office
The Copyright Office provides expert assistance to Congress on intellectual property matters; advises Congress on anticipated changes in U.S. copyright law; analyzes and assists in the drafting of copyright legislation and legislative reports and provides and undertakes studies for Congress; offers advice to Congress on compliance with multilateral agreements such as the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works; works with the State Department, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, and the Patent and Trademark Office in providing technical expertise in negotiations for international intellectual property agreements; provides technical assistance to other countries in developing their own copyright laws; and through its International Copyright Institute, promotes worldwide understanding and cooperation in providing protection for intellectual property.
The Copyright Office is also an office of record, a place where claims to copyright are registered and where documents relating to copyright may be recorded when the requirements of the copyright law are met. The Copyright Office furnishes information about the provisions of the copyright law and the procedures for making registration, explains the operations and practices of the Copyright Office, and reports on facts found in the public records of the Office. The Office also administers various compulsory licensing provisions of the law, which include collecting royalties.
Additionally, the Copyright Office and the Library of Congress administer the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panels, which meet for limited times for the purpose of adjusting rates and distributing royalties.
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#hsc -- How to secure a copyright : misconception
The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. (See following Note.) There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration. See "Copyright Registration."
Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is "created" when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time.
