The first source for identifying the copyright owner is the copyright notice on the work, which often looks like this: Copyright © 2005, XYZ Corporation. Another important source is the registration of the claim of copyright with the United States Copyright Office. For information about searching registration records, see http://www.copyright.gov/records/.

However, the law does not require a copyright notice or registration, and the original owner may have transferred the copyright. Sometimes you simply need to contact any person associated with the work, such as the author, publisher, or benefactor, and ask about the copyright status and ownership.

Sample permission letters.