Federal · Title 17 — Copyrights

17 U.S.C. § 1312: Oaths and acknowledgments

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute establishes procedural rules for oaths and written declarations before authorized officials in the United States and foreign countries, and permits the Administrator to allow written declarations in place of oaths for filed documents.

Read the full statutory text

before any person in the United States authorized by law to administer oaths; or when made in a foreign country, before any diplomatic or consular officer of the United States authorized to administer oaths, or before any official authorized to administer oaths in the foreign country concerned, whose authority shall be proved by a certificate of a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States; and shall be valid if they comply with the laws of the State or country where made. The Administrator may by rule prescribe that any document which is to be filed under this chapter in the Office of the Administrator and which is required by any law, rule, or other regulation to be under oath, may be subscribed to by a written declaration in such form as the Administrator may prescribe, and such declaration shall be in lieu of the oath otherwise required. Whenever a written declaration under paragraph (1) is used, the document containing the declaration shall state that willful false statements are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, pursuant to section 1001 of title 18 , and may jeopardize the validity of the application or document or a registration resulting therefrom.

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