U.S. Copyright Office, Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices ch. 600 (3d ed. 2021)
| 601 | What This Chapter Covers | 15 |
|---|---|---|
| 602 | General U.S. Copyright Office Examination Practices | 15 |
| 602.1 | Completion of the Application | 16 |
| 602.2 | Statutorily Required Information in the Application | 16 |
| 602.3 | Requirements for Registration of a Basic Claim | 17 |
| 602.4 | General Standards for Examination of an Application | 17 |
| 602.4(A) | The Examination Process | 17 |
| 602.4(B) | Scope of the Examination | 17 |
| 602.4(C) | Factual Determinations and Administrative Notice | 18 |
| 602.4(D) | No Searches or Comparison of Works | 18 |
| 602.4(E) | Duplicate Claims | 18 |
| 602.5 | General Practices for Processing Information Provided in a Paper Application | 19 |
| 602.6 | General Policy Regarding Location of Information | 19 |
| 602.7 | General Practices Regarding Missing Information | 20 |
| 602.8 | General Policy Regarding Extraneous Information | 20 |
| 602.9 | General Policy Regarding Social Security Numbers, Driver's License Numbers, Credit Card Numbers, and Bank Account Numbers | 20 |
| 602.10 | General Practices Regarding Cataloging Information | 21 |
| 603 | Variances | 21 |
| 603.1 | Immaterial Variances | 22 |
| 603.2 | Material Variances | 23 |
| 603.2(A) | Material Variances That May Be Resolved by Amending the Registration Record without Annotating | 23 |
| 603.2(B) | Material Variances That May Be Resolved by Amending and Annotating the Registration Record | 24 |
| 603.2(C) | Material Variances That Cannot Be Resolved by Amending or Annotating the Registration Record | 24 |
| 604 | Annotations | 26 |
| 604.1 | Addressing Variances in the Registration Materials | 26 |
| 604.2 | Adding Comments to the Registration Record | 26 |
|---|---|---|
| 604.3 | Adding Missing Information to the Registration Record | 27 |
| 604.4 | Documenting Communications with the Applicant | 27 |
| 604.5 | Placement of the Annotation | 28 |
| 604.6 | Annotations Are Part of the Registration Record | 28 |
| 605 | Communications Between the Applicant and the Registration Specialist | 28 |
| 605.1 | General Policies | 28 |
| 605.2 | Communicating with the U.S. Copyright Office | 29 |
| 605.2(A) | Note to Copyright Office | 29 |
| 605.2(B) | Cover Letters | 30 |
| 605.2(C) | Calling or Emailing the U.S. Copyright Office | 30 |
| 605.3 | Communications from the U.S. Copyright Office | 30 |
| 605.3(A) | The U.S. Copyright Office's Email Addresses | 31 |
| 605.3(B) | When the U.S. Copyright Office Will Communicate with the Applicant | 31 |
| 605.3(C) | Records Concerning U.S. Copyright Office Communications | 32 |
| 605.3(D) | Communication from the U.S. Copyright Office May Address Multiple Issues | 32 |
| 605.3(E) | Oral Communications | 32 |
| 605.3(F) | Written Communications | 33 |
| 605.4 | Case Numbers, Service Request Numbers, THREAD ID Numbers, and Correspondence Identification Numbers | 34 |
| 605.5 | Applicant's Internal Tracking Number | 35 |
| 605.6 | Deadlines for Responding to Communications from the U.S. Copyright Office | 35 |
| 605.6(A) | Oral Communications | 35 |
| 605.6(B) | 35 | |
| 605.6(C) | Email Requests for Deposit Copy(ies) | 36 |
| 605.6(D) | Letters | 36 |
| 605.7 | File Closed Following a Failure to Respond to a Written Communication from the U.S. Copyright Office | 36 |
| 605.8 | Procedure for Reopening a Closed Application | 37 |
| 605.9 | Withdrawing an Application | 37 |
| 606 | Warnings | 38 |
| 607 | Registration Made Under the Rule of Doubt | 38 |
| 608 | Refusal to Register | 39 |
|---|---|---|
| 609 | Identifying the Work That the Applicant Intends to Register | 40 |
| 609.1 | Online Application | 41 |
| 609.2 | Paper Applications | 42 |
| 609.3 | Works Containing Multiple Forms of Authorship | 44 |
| 610 | Title of the Work | 44 |
| 610.1 | Title Types | 44 |
| 610.2 | Title of Work Being Registered / Title of this Work | 45 |
| 610.3 | Previous or Alternative Title | 46 |
| 610.4 | Works Containing Separate and Independent Works: Units of Publication, Collective Works, and Contributions to Collective Works | 47 |
| 610.4(A) | Contents Title: Titles of Separate and Independent Works Included in a Larger Work | 47 |
| 610.4(B) | Title of Larger Work | 49 |
| 610.5 | Series Title | 50 |
| 610.6 | Examination Guidelines: Title of Work | 51 |
| 610.6(A) | Untitled Works | 51 |
| 610.6(B) | Descriptive Titles That Appear to Be Incorrect | 52 |
| 610.6(C) | Titles Consisting of Roman Letters and Arabic Numerals | 52 |
| 610.6(D) | Title of the Work: Variances | 53 |
| 610.6(D)(1) | Variances between the Title Provided in the Application and the Title That Appears on the Deposit Copy(ies) | 53 |
| 610.6(D)(2) | Title That Appears on the Deposit Copy(ies) is More Complete Than the Title Provided in the Application | 53 |
| 610.6(D)(3) | Edition Number, Version Number, or Other Identifying Information Not Provided | 54 |
| 610.6(D)(4) | Material Variances Between the Title Provided in the Application and the Title That Appears on the Deposit Copy(ies) | 54 |
| 611 | Year of Completion / Year in Which Creation of This Work Was Completed | 55 |
| 611.1 | Completing the Application: Year of Completion / Year in Which Creation of this Work Was Completed | 55 |
| 611.1(A) | Year of Completion for an Unpublished Work Created Over a Period of Time | 55 |
| 611.1(B) | Year of Completion for Multiple Versions of the Same Work | 55 |
| 611.2 | Examination Guidelines: Year of Completion / Year in Which Creation of this Work Was Completed | 56 |
| 611.2(A) | Year of Completion Apparently Incorrect | 56 |
| 611.2(B) | Year of Completion Omitted | 57 |
|---|---|---|
| 611.2(C) | Year of Completion Unknown | 57 |
| 612 | Date of Publication | 57 |
| 612.1 | General Policy | 57 |
| 612.2 | What Constitutes Publication? | 58 |
| 612.3 | Determining whether the Work Is Published or Unpublished | 58 |
| 612.4 | What Is the Date of First Publication? | 59 |
| 612.5 | What Is the Nation of First Publication? | 59 |
| 612.6 | Completing the Application: Date and Nation of First Publication | 59 |
| 612.6(A) | Date of First Publication | 59 |
| 612.6(B) | Nation of First Publication | 59 |
| 612.6(C) | ISBN, ISSN, and Other Standard Numbers | 60 |
| 612.7 | Examination Guidelines: Date and Nation of First Publication | 61 |
| 612.7(A) | Claim in a Published Work Contradicted by Information Provided Elsewhere in the Registration Materials | 61 |
| 612.7(B) | Claim in an Unpublished Work Contradicted by Information Provided Elsewhere in the Registration Materials | 62 |
| 612.7(C) | Nation of Publication Given in a Paper Application without a Date of Publication | 62 |
| 612.7(D) | Extraneous Statements Concerning Publication | 63 |
| 612.7(E) | Month, Day, and Year Required for the Date of First Publication | 63 |
| 612.7(F) | Exact Date of Publication Unknown | 64 |
| 612.7(G) | Multiple Dates of Publication | 64 |
| 612.7(H) | Future Date of Publication | 64 |
| 612.7(I) | Impossible, Impractical, or Implausible Date of Publication | 65 |
| 612.7(J) | Nation of First Publication: Works Published in Multiple Countries | 65 |
| 612.7(K) | Nation of First Publication Unclear | 66 |
| 612.7(L) | Nation of First Publication Unknown | 66 |
| 613 | Name of Author(s) | 67 |
| 613.1 | Who Is the Author? | 67 |
| 613.2 | When Authorship Is Determined | 67 |
| 613.3 | Identifying the Authors Who Should Be Named in the Application | 68 |
| 613.4 | Identifying the Authors of a Work Made for Hire | 68 |
| 613.5 | Identifying the Authors of a Joint Work | 68 |
|---|---|---|
| 613.6 | Identifying the Author of a Derivative Work | 69 |
| 613.7 | Identifying the Author of a Compilation | 70 |
| 613.8 | Identifying the Author of a Collective Work or a Contribution to a Collective Work | 71 |
| 613.9 | Completing the Application: Name of Author | 73 |
| 613.10 | Examination Guidelines: Name of Author | 74 |
| 613.10(A) | Name of Author Unclear | 74 |
| 613.10(B) | Name of Author: Variances | 75 |
| 613.10(B)(1) | Variances Between the Name Provided in the Application and the Name Provided in the Deposit Copy(ies) | 75 |
| 613.10(B)(1)(a) | Minor Variances | 75 |
| 613.10(B)(1)(b) | Material Variances | 76 |
| 613.10(B)(2) | Variance Between the Number of Authors Named in the Application and the Number of Authors Named in the Deposit Copy(ies) | 77 |
| 613.10(C) | Name of Author Not Required | 79 |
| 613.10(D) | Name of Author Unknown | 81 |
| 613.10(E) | Name of the Author Omitted: Works Created by a Single Author | 81 |
| 613.10(F) | Name of an Author Omitted: Works Created by Large Numbers of Authors | 81 |
| 614 | Works Made for Hire | 82 |
| 614.1 | Completing the Application: Works Made for Hire | 82 |
| 614.1(A) | Year of Completion and Date of Publication | 82 |
| 614.1(B) | Identifying the Author of a Work Made for Hire | 82 |
| 614.1(C) | Identifying the Citizenship and / or Domicile of the Author | 83 |
| 614.1(D) | Year of Birth and Death Not Required for Works Made for Hire | 83 |
| 614.1(E) | Registering a Work Made for Hire as an Anonymous or Pseudonymous Work | 83 |
| 614.1(F) | Identifying the Claimant for a Work Made for Hire | 84 |
| 614.2 | Examination Guidelines: Works Made for Hire | 85 |
| 614.2(A) | Identifying the Work as a Work Made for Hire | 85 |
| 614.2(B) | Identifying the Author of a Work Made for Hire | 85 |
| 614.2(B)(1) | Was the Work Created by an Employee Acting within the Scope of His or Her Duties? | 85 |
| 614.2(B)(2) | Was the Work Specially Ordered or Commissioned as a Work Made for Hire? | 86 |
| 614.2(B)(3) | Naming the Employee or the Individual Who Actually Created the Work as the Author of a Work Made for Hire | 87 |
| 614.2(B)(4) | Volunteer Created Work Made for Hire | 88 |
|---|---|---|
| 614.2(B)(5) | Organization Named as the Author of a Work Made for Hire | 88 |
| 614.2(B)(6) | Individual Named as Author of a Work Made for Hire | 89 |
| 614.2(B)(7) | Individual and Incorporated Organization Named Together as the Authors of a Work Made for Hire | 91 |
| 614.2(B)(8) | Individual and Unincorporated Organization Named Together as the Authors of a Work Made for Hire | 92 |
| 615 | Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works | 94 |
| 615.1 | Anonymous Works | 94 |
| 615.1(A) | What Is an Anonymous Work? | 94 |
| 615.1(B) | Completing the Application: Anonymous Works | 94 |
| 615.2 | Pseudonymous Works | 95 |
| 615.2(A) | What Is a Pseudonymous Work? | 95 |
| 615.2(B) | Completing the Application: Pseudonymous Works | 96 |
| 615.2(C) | Name of the Author Omitted | 98 |
| 615.3 | Privacy Concerns | 98 |
| 616 | Year of Author's Birth and Death | 99 |
| 616.1 | The Author's Year of Birth | 99 |
| 616.1(A) | Year of Birth Not Required for Works Made for Hire | 99 |
| 616.1(B) | Privacy Concerns | 99 |
| 616.2 | The Author's Year of Death | 99 |
| 616.3 | Completing the Application: Author's Year of Birth and Death | 101 |
| 617 | Citizenship and Domicile of the Author | 101 |
| 617.1 | What Is the Author's Citizenship and Domicile? | 101 |
| 617.2 | Determining the Author's Citizenship or Domicile for a Published Work | 102 |
| 617.3 | Determining the Author's Citizenship or Domicile for a Work Made for Hire | 102 |
| 617.4 | Determining the Author's Citizenship or Domicile for Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works | 102 |
| 617.5 | Determining the Author's Citizenship or Domicile for Compilations and Derivative Works | 102 |
| 617.6 | Completing the Application: Citizenship and Domicile | 103 |
| 617.7 | Examination Guidelines: Citizenship and Domicile | 103 |
| 617.7(A) | Citizenship and Domicile Unclear | 103 |
| 617.7(B) | Citizenship and Domicile in Multiple Countries | 104 |
| 617.7(C) | Stateless Persons | 104 |
|---|---|---|
| 617.7(D) | Citizenship and Domicile Unknown | 104 |
| 618 | Author Created / Nature of Authorship | 106 |
| 618.1 | Asserting a Claim to Copyright | 106 |
| 618.2 | Limiting the Claim to Copyright | 107 |
| 618.3 | The Relationship Between the Author Created / Limitation of Claim Fields in the Online Application and the Relationship Between Spaces 2, 5, 6(a), and 6(b) in the Paper Application | 107 |
| 618.4 | Completing the Application: Author Created / Nature of Authorship | 107 |
| 618.4(A) | The Online Application: Author Created Field | 108 |
| 618.4(B) | Paper Applications: Nature of Authorship Space | 110 |
| 618.4(C) | Recommended Terminology for Asserting a Claim to Copyright | 112 |
| 618.4(D) | Examples for Completing the Author Created Field and the Nature of Authorship Space | 116 |
| 618.5 | Derivative Works | 117 |
| 618.6 | Compilations | 118 |
| 618.7 | Collective Works | 120 |
| 618.7(A) | Asserting a Claim to Copyright in a Collective Work | 121 |
| 618.7(B) | Asserting a Claim to Copyright in a Contribution to a Collective Work | 122 |
| 618.7(B)(1) | Registering a Contribution without Registering the Collective Work as a Whole | 122 |
| 618.7(B)(2) | Registering a Collective Work and a Contribution to a Collective Work | 122 |
| 618.7(C) | Asserting a Claim to Copyright in a Serial Publication | 124 |
| 618.7(D) | Examples for Asserting a Claim to Copyright in a Collective Work and / or a Contribution to a Collective Work | 125 |
| 618.8 | Examination Guidelines: Author Created / Nature of Authorship | 128 |
| 618.8(A) | Authorship Unclear | 128 |
| 618.8(A)(1) | Design | 129 |
| 618.8(A)(2) | Game | 131 |
| 618.8(A)(3) | Packaging | 132 |
| 618.8(A)(4) | Author, Artist, Writer, Songwriter, Editor, and Other Professional Designations | 133 |
| 618.8(A)(5) | Story, Story Idea, Story Concept, Story Line | 134 |
| 618.8(A)(6) | Conceived, Conception | 136 |
| 618.8(A)(7) | Plot | 137 |
| 618.8(A)(8) | Character(s) | 139 |
| 618.8(A)(9) | Research | 139 |
|---|---|---|
| 618.8(A)(10) | Unclear Terms for Musical Works and Sound Recordings | 141 |
| 618.8(A)(11) | Entire Work and Other Unspecific Terms | 141 |
| 618.8(B) | Percentage of Authorship | 143 |
| 618.8(C) | Uncopyrightable Material Claimed in the Author Created Field or the Nature of Authorship Space | 144 |
| 618.8(C)(1) | Deposit Copy(ies) Containing Copyrightable Authorship and Uncopyrightable Material; No Claim Asserted in Uncopyrightable Material | 144 |
| 618.8(C)(2) | Claim in Copyrightable Authorship and Uncopyrightable Material | 144 |
| 618.8(C)(3) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Deposit Copy(ies) Contain Copyrightable Authorship | 145 |
| 618.8(C)(4) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Acceptable Authorship Statement Used to Describe Uncopyrightable Material | 146 |
| 618.8(C)(5) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Works Created by Two or More Authors | 147 |
| 618.8(C)(6) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Registration Refused | 148 |
| 618.8(D) | De Minimis Material Claimed in the Author Created Field or the Nature of Authorship Space | 149 |
| 618.8(D)(1) | Deposit Copy(ies) Contain Copyrightable Authorship and De Minimis Material; No Claim Asserted in the De Minimis Material | 149 |
| 618.8(D)(2) | Claim in Copyrightable Authorship and De Minimis Material | 149 |
| 618.8(D)(3) | Claim in De Minimis Material: Works Created by Two or More Authors | 150 |
| 618.8(D)(4) | Claim in De Minimis Material: Registration Refused | 150 |
| 618.8(E) | Variances Between the Information Provided in the Application and Elsewhere in the Registration Materials | 151 |
| 618.8(F) | Material Claimed in the Author Created Field or Nature of Authorship Space Not Found in the Deposit Copy(ies) | 152 |
| 618.8(G) | Copyrightable Material in the Deposit Copy(ies) That Has Not Been Claimed in the Application | 153 |
| 618.8(H) | Nature of Authorship Statement Omitted from a Paper Application | 154 |
| 618.8(I) | Nature of This Work | 155 |
| 619 | Name of Claimant | 155 |
| 619.1 | Who Is Eligible to Be a Copyright Claimant? | 156 |
| 619.2 | The Claimant Must Be an Individual or a Legal Entity | 156 |
| 619.3 | When Is an Individual or Legal Entity Eligible to Be a Copyright Claimant? | 156 |
| 619.4 | Claimants Distinguished from the Owner of a Copy or Phonorecord of the Work | 156 |
| 619.5 | Claimants Distinguished from the Applicant and the Correspondent | 157 |
| 619.6 | Naming the Author as Claimant | 157 |
|---|---|---|
| 619.7 | The Author May Be Named as Claimant Even if the Author Has Transferred the Copyright to Another Party | 158 |
| 619.8 | Naming a Transferee as Claimant | 158 |
| 619.9 | A Party That Owns One or More — but Less than All — of the Exclusive Rights May File an Application to Register a Copyright Claim, but Cannot Be Named as the Copyright Claimant | 158 |
| 619.10 | A Nonexclusive Licensee Cannot Be a Claimant | 159 |
| 619.11 | One Registration Per Work | 159 |
| 619.12 | Completing the Application: Name of Claimant | 159 |
| 619.13 | Examination Guidelines: Name of Claimant | 161 |
| 619.13(A) | Nicknames, First Names, Last Names, and Abbreviated Versions of the Claimant's Name | 161 |
| 619.13(B) | Initials | 161 |
| 619.13(C) | Identifying the Author of a Pseudonymous Work as the Copyright Claimant | 162 |
| 619.13(D) | Identifying the Author of an Anonymous Work as the Copyright Claimant | 163 |
| 619.13(E) | Two or More Names Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space | 164 |
| 619.13(E)(1) | Applications Submitted on Behalf of the Copyright Claimant | 164 |
| 619.13(E)(2) | Two or More Names Separated by Conjunctions or Punctuations Marks in a Paper Application | 164 |
| 619.13(E)(3) | Individual Name Listed Above or Below the Name of a Legal Entity in a Paper Application | 165 |
| 619.13(F) | Group of Individuals Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space | 167 |
| 619.13(G) | Individual and Unincorporated Business Organization Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space | 168 |
| 619.13(H) | Individual and Incorporated Organization Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space | 169 |
| 619.13(I) | Partnership Named as Claimant | 170 |
| 619.13(J) | Trust or Estate Named as Claimant | 170 |
| 619.13(K) | Variances Between the Name Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space and Elsewhere in the Registration Materials | 172 |
| 619.13(L) | Variance Between the Name Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space and the Copyright Notice | 172 |
| 619.13(M) | Statements Concerning the Claim to Copyright in the Name of Claimant Field / Space | 173 |
| 619.13(N) | Percentage of Copyright Ownership in the Name of Claimant Field / Space | 173 |
| 619.13(O) | Owner of Copyright for a Limited Term | 174 |
| 619.13(P) | Future and Contingent Interests | 174 |
| 619.13(Q) | Deceased Individual or Defunct Entity Named as a Claimant | 174 |
| 619.13(R) | Identifying the Claimant by Referring to Other Records | 174 |
|---|---|---|
| 619.13(S) | Name of Claimant Unknown | 175 |
| 619.13(T) | Name or Address of Claimant Omitted | 175 |
| 620 | Transfer Statement | 175 |
| 620.1 | What Is a Transfer of Copyright Ownership? | 175 |
| 620.2 | What Is a Transfer Statement? | 176 |
| 620.3 | Transfer Statement Distinguished from an Instrument or Conveyance That Transfers the Copyright from One Party to Another | 176 |
| 620.4 | When Is a Transfer Statement Required? | 176 |
| 620.4(A) | The Author and the Copyright Claimant Are the Same | 176 |
| 620.4(B) | The Author and the Copyright Claimant Are Different | 177 |
| 620.5 | Joint Works | 177 |
| 620.6 | Works by Two or More Authors That Do Not Meet the Statutory Definition of a Joint Work | 178 |
| 620.7 | Derivative Works and Compilations | 179 |
| 620.8 | Collective Works | 180 |
| 620.9 | Completing the Application: Transfer Statement | 180 |
| 620.9(A) | Minimum Requirements for a Transfer Statement | 180 |
| 620.9(B) | Acceptable Transfer Statements | 181 |
| 620.9(B)(1) | Transfer by Written Agreement | 181 |
| 620.9(B)(2) | Transfer by Written Instrument from a Third Party | 183 |
| 620.9(B)(3) | Transfer by Inheritance | 183 |
| 620.9(B)(4) | Transfer by Operation of Law | 183 |
| 620.10 | Examination Guidelines: Transfer Statement | 184 |
| 620.10(A) | Transfer of Copyright Ownership or Other Documents Pertaining to Copyright Submitted with the Application | 184 |
| 620.10(B) | Chain of Title | 185 |
| 620.10(C) | Unacceptable Transfer Statements | 186 |
| 620.10(C)(1) | Transfer by Oral Agreement | 186 |
| 620.10(C)(2) | Transfer of One or More — but Less than All — of the Rights under Copyright | 186 |
| 620.10(C)(3) | Transfer Statements That Merely Describe the Relationship between the Author and the Copyright Claimant | 188 |
| 620.10(C)(4) | Transfer or Possession of Material Object | 188 |
| 620.10(D) | No Transfer Statement Given | 189 |
| 620.10(D)(1) | Copyright Transferred by Inheritance or by Operation of Law | 189 |
|---|---|---|
| 620.10(D)(1)(a) | Inheritance | 189 |
| 620.10(D)(1)(b) | Partnerships | 190 |
| 620.10(D)(2) | Same Person Is Named as Author and Claimant | 190 |
| 620.10(D)(2)(a) | Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works | 190 |
| 620.10(D)(2)(b) | Individual Named as Author and Unincorporated Organization Named as Claimant | 191 |
| 620.11 | Extraneous Information Provided in the Transfer Statement Field / Space | 192 |
| 621 | Limitation of Claim | 193 |
| 621.1 | What Is Unclaimable Material? | 193 |
| 621.2 | Unclaimable Material That Need Not Be Excluded from the Application | 195 |
| 621.3 | The Relationship Between the Author Created / Limitation of Claim Fields in the Online Application and the Relationship Between Spaces 2, 6(a), and 6(b) of the Paper Application | 196 |
| 621.4 | Previously Published Material | 197 |
| 621.5 | Previously Registered Material | 198 |
| 621.6 | Public Domain Material | 200 |
| 621.7 | Copyrightable Material That Is Owned by an Individual or Entity Other Than the Claimant | 201 |
| 621.8 | Completing the Application: Limitation of Claim | 201 |
| 621.8(A) | Identifying the Material That the Author Created | 201 |
| 621.8(B) | Identifying Unclaimable Material That Should Be Excluded from the Claim | 202 |
| 621.8(C) | Identifying the New Material That the Applicant Intends to Register | 203 |
| 621.8(C)(1) | The Online Application: New Material Included Field | 204 |
| 621.8(C)(2) | Paper Applications: Space 6(b) | 207 |
| 621.8(D) | Completing an Application to Register a Compilation, a Collective Work, and / or a Contribution to a Collective Work | 209 |
| 621.8(E) | Examples for Identifying Unclaimable Material and the New Material That the Applicant Intends to Register | 210 |
| 621.8(F) | Identifying Previously Registered Material That Should Be Excluded from the Claim | 213 |
| 621.8(G) | Identifying Preregistered Material | 213 |
| 621.9 | Examination Guidelines: Limitation of Claim | 214 |
| 621.9(A) | Limitation of Claim Not Required | 214 |
| 621.9(A)(1) | Works Containing Uncopyrightable Material or a Minimal Amount of Unclaimable Material | 214 |
| 621.9(A)(2) | Applicant Has Not Asserted a Claim in Unclaimable Material | 215 |
| 621.9(A)(3) | Unclaimable Material Described in the Application but Not Included in the Deposit Copy(ies) | 216 |
|---|---|---|
| 621.9(B) | Identifying the Author of a Work That Contains an Appreciable Amount of Unclaimable Material | 216 |
| 621.9(C) | Authorship Unclear | 216 |
| 621.9(D) | Claim Clarified by Information Provided Elsewhere in the Registration Materials | 217 |
| 621.9(D)(1) | Claim Clearly Defined by the Title of the Work | 217 |
| 621.9(D)(2) | Claim Clarified by Information Provided in the Author Created Field or Nature of Authorship Space | 218 |
| 621.9(D)(3) | Claim Clarified by Information Provided in the Limitation of Claim Screen or Spaces 6(a) and / or 6(b) of the Paper Application | 219 |
| 621.9(D)(4) | Claim Clarified by Information Provided in Space 5 of the Paper Application | 220 |
| 621.9(D)(5) | Claim Clarified by Information Provided in the Deposit Copy(ies) | 220 |
| 621.9(E) | Uncopyrightable Material Claimed in the New Material Included Field or Space 6(b) | 221 |
| 621.9(E)(1) | Deposit Copy(ies) Contain Copyrightable Authorship and Uncopyrightable Material; No Claim Asserted in the Uncopyrightable Material | 221 |
| 621.9(E)(2) | Claim in Copyrightable Authorship and Uncopyrightable Material | 221 |
| 621.9(E)(3) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Deposit Copy(ies) Contain Copyrightable Authorship | 222 |
| 621.9(E)(4) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Acceptable Authorship Statement Used to Describe Uncopyrightable Material | 222 |
| 621.9(E)(5) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Works Created by Two or More Authors | 222 |
| 621.9(E)(6) | Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Registration Refused | 222 |
| 621.9(F) | De Minimis Material Claimed in the New Material Included Field or Space 6(b) | 222 |
| 621.9(F)(1) | Deposit Copy(ies) Contain Copyrightable Authorship and De Minimis Material; No Claim Asserted in the De Minimis Material | 222 |
| 621.9(F)(2) | Claim in Copyrightable Authorship and De Minimis Material | 223 |
| 621.9(F)(3) | Claim in De Minimis Material: Works Created by Two or More Authors | 223 |
| 621.9(F)(4) | Claim in De Minimis Authorship: Registration Refused | 223 |
| 621.9(G) | Discrepancies Between the Limitation of Claim Fields and the Deposit Copy(ies) | 223 |
| 621.9(H) | Discrepancies Involving the Copyright Notice | 224 |
| 621.9(H)(1) | Published Works | 224 |
| 621.9(H)(2) | Unpublished Works | 224 |
| 621.9(I) | Discrepancies Involving the Registration Number or Year of Registration in a Paper Application | 224 |
| 621.9(J) | Reference to Previous Registration Clearly Erroneous | 225 |
|---|---|---|
| 621.9(K) | Reference to a Preregistration in the Previous Registration Field/Space | 226 |
| 622 | Rights and Permissions Information / Correspondent / Mail Certificate | 226 |
| 622.1 | Rights and Permissions Information | 226 |
| 622.2 | Correspondent | 227 |
| 622.3 | Applicant's Internal Tracking Number | 228 |
| 622.4 | Mailing Address for the Certificate of Registration | 228 |
| 623 | Special Handling | 228 |
| 623.1 | What Is Special Handling? | 229 |
| 623.2 | Justification for Special Handling | 229 |
| 623.3 | Examination Guidelines: Special Handling | 230 |
| 623.4 | Timeline for Special Handling Requests | 230 |
| 623.5 | Procedure for Requesting Special Handling | 231 |
| 623.5(A) | Online Requests for an Expedited Certificate of Registration | 232 |
| 623.5(B) | In Person Requests | 232 |
| 623.5(C) | Requests Delivered by Commercial Carrier, Courier, or by Mail | 233 |
| 623.5(D) | Procedure for Requesting Special Handling for a Pending Application or a Pending Recordation | 234 |
| 623.6 | Special Handling Fee | 235 |
| 623.7 | Special Handling for Multiple Applications That Share the Same Deposit Copy | 236 |
| 624 | Certification | 237 |
| 624.1 | The Significance of the Certification | 237 |
| 624.2 | Who May Certify the Application? | 237 |
| 624.2(A) | Application Certified by the Author or the Author's Duly Authorized Agent | 237 |
| 624.2(B) | Application Certified by a Party That Owns All the Rights under Copyright That Initially Belonged to the Author or That Party's Duly Authorized Agent | 237 |
| 624.2(C) | Application Certified by an Owner of One or More — but Less than All — of the Exclusive Rights or That Party's Duly Authorized Agent | 238 |
| 624.3 | Completing the Application: Certification | 238 |
| 624.3(A) | Online Applications | 238 |
| 624.3(B) | Paper Applications | 239 |
| 624.4 | Examination Guidelines: Certification | 240 |
| 624.4(A) | Signature Requirements | 240 |
| 624.4(B) | Date of Certification in a Paper Application | 241 |
|---|---|---|
| 625 | Registration Decision Date and Effective Date of Registration | 241 |
| 625.1 | Minimum Requirements for an Acceptable Application | 243 |
| 625.2 | Minimum Requirements for Acceptable Deposit Copy(ies) | 244 |
| 625.2(A) | Acceptable File Formats for the Deposit Copy(ies) Accompanying an Online Application | 245 |
| 625.2(B) | Unacceptable File Formats for the Deposit Copy(ies) Accompanying an Online Application | 245 |
| 625.2(C) | Corrupted Deposit Copy(ies) Files Accompanying an Online Application | 245 |
| 625.2(D) | Shipping Slips for Mailing Physical Deposit Copy(ies) to Accompany an Online Application | 245 |
| 625.3 | Minimum Requirements for an Acceptable Filing Fee | 246 |
| 625.3(A) | Forms of Payments | 246 |
| 625.3(B) | Insufficient Funds | 247 |
| 625.3(C) | Special Handling Fee | 247 |
| 625.4 | Minimum Requirements for Establishing an Effective Date of Registration Distinguished from the Requirements for Issuing a Certificate of Registration | 247 |
This Chapter sets forth the U.S. Copyright Office's practices and procedures for examining claims submitted with the Standard Application or a paper application.
This Chapter does not discuss claims that may be submitted with the Single Application. Likewise, it does not discuss (i) group registrations; (ii) renewal registrations; (iii) supplementary registrations; (iv) GATT registrations for certain foreign works; or (v) preregistrations.
For examining practices specific to the following types of works or registrations, see the following chapters:
When the U.S. Copyright Office determines that the material deposited constitutes copyrightable subject matter and that the other legal and formal requirements of U.S. copyright law have been met, it will register the claim and send the applicant a certificate of registration under the seal of the U.S. Copyright Office. 17 U.S.C. § 410(a). The Office has certain general policies it employs when an application is unclear on its face, when there are ambiguities in the application, and/or contradictions between the statements provided in the application and the information contained in the deposit copy(ies), when required information is missing, or when the deposit copy(ies) are incomplete or otherwise fail to meet the applicable requirements. Each of these topics is discussed below.
Applicants are encouraged to complete applications accurately and completely. Establishing a full, accurate record has a number of benefits: it serves the public interest by creating a more useful public record, it provides potential licensees with more accurate information, and it decreases the cost of copyright litigation by minimizing potential disputes about the work(s) that the registration covers. Where an applicant seeks assistance from the U.S. Copyright Office in preparing an application, the Office will instruct the applicant to complete the application in a clear and accurate manner.
Section 409 of the Copyright Act sets forth the required information for an application for copyright registration:
1. 1. The name and address of the copyright claimant.
2. 2. In the case of a work other than an anonymous or pseudonymous work, the name and nationality or domicile of the author or authors, and, if one or more of the authors is dead, the dates of their deaths.
3. 3. If the work is anonymous or pseudonymous, the nationality or domicile of the author or authors.
4. 4. In the case of a work made for hire, a statement to this effect (i.e., a “work made for hire statement”).
5. 5. If the copyright claimant is not the author, a brief statement of how the claimant obtained ownership of the copyright (i.e., a “transfer statement”).
6. 6. The title of the work, together with any previous or alternative titles under which the work can be identified.
7. 7. The year in which creation of the work was completed.
8. 8. If the work has been published, the date and nation of its first publication.
9. 9. In the case of a compilation, or derivative work, an identification of any preexisting work or works that it is based on or incorporates, and a brief, general statement of the additional material covered by the copyright claim being registered.
17 U.S.C. § 409.
The essential issues that should be resolved before the U.S. Copyright Office may complete a registration include the following:
The Office will issue a registration if all of these questions are answered in the affirmative, if there are no other issues in the registration materials that might raise questions concerning the claim, and if all of the other legal and formal requirements have been met.
The examination process involves the examination of the application, the deposit copy(ies), the filing fee, all other material that has been submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office, and all communications between the applicant and the Office relating to the registration of the claim. Together, these materials are collectively known as the “registration materials.”
The U.S. Copyright Office examines the registration materials to determine:
As a general rule, the Office will register a claim to copyright where the work contains copyrightable subject matter, where the application is acceptable on its face, and where the facts stated therein are not contradicted by each other or by information in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office accepts the facts stated in the registration materials, unless they are contradicted by information provided elsewhere in the registration materials or in the Office's records. Knowingly making a false representation of a material fact in an application for copyright registration, or in any written statement filed in connection with an application, is a crime that is punishable under 17 U.S.C. § 506(e).
Ordinarily, the Office does not conduct investigations or make findings of fact to confirm the truth of any statement made in an application, such as whether a work has been published or not. However, the Office may take administrative notice of facts or matters that are known by the Office or the general public, and may use that knowledge to question an application that appears to contain or be based upon inaccurate or erroneous information.
When examining a claim to copyright, the U.S. Copyright Office generally does not compare deposit copy(ies) to determine whether the work for which registration is sought is substantially similar to another work. Likewise, the Office generally does not conduct searches to determine whether the work has been previously registered.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will not knowingly issue multiple registrations for the same claim, because this would confuse the public record.
If the Office discovers that an applicant submitted a claim that is an exact duplicate of another claim, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant or may refuse to register the duplicate claim. The status of the prior claim is irrelevant to this determination. The Office will not knowingly register a duplicate claim, regardless of whether the prior claim is pending or whether it has been registered or refused. Likewise, if the Office refused registration and if the applicant submitted a request for reconsideration, the Office will not knowingly register a duplicate claim, regardless of whether the request is pending or whether the refusal has been upheld on substantive or procedural grounds.
NOTE: There are three limited exceptions to this rule, which are discussed in Chapter 500, Sections 510.1 through 510.3. The Office may also accept a duplicate claim if the initial claim was closed as a “no reply” because the applicant failed to respond to the registration specialist in a timely manner. For more information, see Section 605.7.
602.5 General Practices for Processing Information Provided in a Paper Application
To the extent possible, the information provided in a paper application will be scanned and uploaded into the U.S. Copyright Office’s electronic registration system. In some cases, it may not be possible or practical to enter all of the information into the registration record. In all cases, the Office will retain a physical copy or an electronic copy of the paper form.
602.6 General Policy Regarding Location of Information
The information that the applicant provides to the U.S. Copyright Office should be provided in the appropriate field of the online application or space of the paper application.
If the applicant provides the required information in the application, but the information does not appear in the correct field or space, the registration specialist may register the claim, provided that the claim is clear. In the alternative, the specialist may correct the application by placing the information in the appropriate field or space, provided it is clear what information belongs in what field or space.
As a general rule, the specialist will not annotate the registration record if information appears in the wrong field or space of the application, but may do so if the required information appears elsewhere in the registration materials (i.e., in the deposit copy(ies) but not in the application). For a discussion regarding annotations, see Section 604 below.
Examples:
as: “Regarding publication: Publication date added from cover letter.”
Where any required information is missing from the application but is clearly provided in other registration materials, including the deposit copy(ies), an email, cover letter, Note to Copyright Office, a continuation sheet, in an application for a related work which was submitted at the same time, or in other written or oral communications with the applicant, the registration specialist may include that information in the appropriate field or space of the registration record and may annotate the registration record to indicate the source of the added information. (For a discussion of annotations, see Section 604.) If the required information is not clearly provided elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
If the information provided in a field or space is clearly extraneous and in no way affects the claim, the registration specialist may remove that information or may allow it to remain in the registration record. Ordinarily, the specialist will not make an annotation in the registration record when extraneous information has been removed.
The applicant should not provide any private or confidential information in the application that is not required for registration. The information that is provided in the application may be included in the certificate of registration and the online public record.
When submitting an online application through the electronic registration system, the applicant may pay the filing fee by providing a credit card number or bank account number on the Online Payment screen. The applicant should not provide this type of information in any other portion of the application.
If the registration specialist discovers a social security number, driver’s license number, credit card number, or bank account number in the application, he or she will remove that information from the record. If the number is not discovered during the examination process and subsequently appears in the certificate of registration or the online public record, the author, the claimant, or their respective representatives may submit a written request to the Office to remove this information from the registration record. See 37 C.F.R. § 201.2(f).
For information concerning this procedure and a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
If information is missing from the application but is clearly provided elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist may add that information to the online public record if it is likely that a person searching the U.S. Copyright Office’s records may use that information to locate the work.
The U.S. Copyright Office uses the term “variance” to refer to any instance where conflicting information is present in or among the registration materials submitted by the applicant. The Office has certain practices for addressing variances, depending on the nature of the conflicting information.
There are four general categories of variances:
If the registration specialist discovers a variance in the registration materials, the actions that he or she may take include: (i) disregarding the variance if it is immaterial, (ii) adding a note to the online public record; (iii) adding an annotation to the certificate of registration and the online public record to identify a correction made by the specialist or to clarify information provided elsewhere in the registration materials; (iv) corresponding with the applicant to obtain the correct information; (v) returning the application and instructing the applicant to correct the variance and resubmit the claim, or (vi) refusing registration in exceptional cases.
These actions and the circumstances when they may be taken are discussed in Sections 603.1 and 603.2 below. For a discussion of the Office's general policies regarding annotations, see Section 604.
An immaterial variance is a variance that does not affect the required information that should be included in an application, or any of the essential issues that should be resolved before the U.S. Copyright Office may complete a registration, or where an ordinary person would be able to discern the correct information from the application and would recognize the variance as a mere discrepancy, such as a misspelling or typographical error. As a general rule, the registration specialist will disregard immaterial variances and will register the claim without annotating or communicating with the applicant, but may note the variance in the online public record.
Examples:
John Thomas submits an online application for a musical work. The title provided in the application is Born in the Philippines, but the phonorecords submitted with the application give the title as Born in the Philippines. If the application is otherwise acceptable, the registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant, but may include the alternative spelling in the online public record in the field marked Title.
Eva Villagros Gutierrez submits an online application for a screenplay, providing her full name in the Name of Author field. The deposit copy identifies the author as “Eva Villagros.” The registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant, but may include the shortened form of the author’s name in the online public record.
A material variance is a variance that substantially affects the required information that should be included in the application, or any of the essential issues that should be resolved before the U.S. Copyright Office may complete a registration.
If a material variance may be clearly resolved by reviewing the registration materials as a whole or by reviewing other U.S. Copyright Office records, the registration specialist may amend the information in the registration record without communicating with the applicant. As a general rule, if all of the required information appears in the application itself (as opposed to elsewhere in the registration materials, including the deposit copy(ies), a cover letter, or the Note to Copyright Office field), the specialist will not annotate the registration record to indicate that the application was revised.
Examples:
certificate of registration and the online public record indicating the presence of correspondence in the file.
If a material variance may be clearly resolved by reviewing the registration materials as a whole or by reviewing other U.S. Copyright Office records, the registration specialist may amend the information in the registration record without communicating with the applicant. As a general rule, if the required information does not appear in the application itself, and it is necessary to refer to information found elsewhere in the registration materials, such as the deposit copy(ies), a cover letter, the Note to Copyright Office field, or in other Office records, the registration specialist will annotate the registration record to indicate that the record was amended and will identify the source of the information.
When the U.S. Copyright Office discovers a material variance in the registration materials, and the correct information cannot be ascertained based on the information provided in the registration materials as a whole or in the Office’s records, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant and attempt to resolve the discrepancy. (For a discussion of the Office’s general policies regarding communications, see Section 605.) In such cases, any changes agreed to by the applicant will be reflected in the registration record, and the corrected information will appear on the certificate of registration and in the online public record.
third edition or may request appropriate deposit copies for the fifth edition.
In some cases, there may be numerous variances in the registration materials. If an unreasonable number of actions would be needed to address these variances, the specialist may return the application, and instruct the applicant to correct and resubmit the claim.
Example:
In exceptional cases, the specialist may refuse registration if he or she determines that the variance cannot be resolved through correspondence.
Examples:
fails to provide the claimant’s address, which is required by law. The Office routinely writes to request the missing information, but the publisher repeatedly makes the same mistake in subsequent submissions. The Office will notify the publisher that if it fails to provide the claimant’s address in the future, the registration specialist will refuse registration without attempting to correct the variance.
An annotation is a statement that the U.S. Copyright Office adds to the registration record to clarify the facts underlying the claim or to identify legal limitations on the claim. The registration specialist may annotate an application without communicating with the applicant if the annotation does not cast doubt on or raise a question concerning the validity of the registration. As discussed in Sections 604.1 through 604.4, annotations may be made for a number of different reasons.
An annotation adds substantive information to the registration itself and is considered part of the certificate of registration, as compared to a note or change in the registration record that is made by the registration specialist as part of his or her cataloging responsibilities (such as adding a note or an index term to the online public record).
As discussed in Section 603, the registration specialist may annotate the registration record to address certain variances in the application.
An annotation may be used to add comments to the registration record. For example, the registration specialist may use an annotation to note the presence of an antedated copyright notice, to note overlapping claims, to note references to previous registrations, to note references to cover letters or other communications from the applicant, to note grants of special relief, to clarify the nature of the deposit copy(ies), or to identify uncopyrightable elements specifically claimed in the application.
As discussed in Section 603.2(B), an annotation may be used to explain that required information was missing from the application and that the registration specialist obtained that information from elsewhere in the registration materials, such as a cover letter or the deposit copy(ies).
In certain appropriate circumstances, the registration specialist may use an annotation to document that the applicant authorized the specialist to amend the registration record or to clarify the facts in the record.
dates in notice. Work is all new, confirmed by phone call with Ralph Carson on February 15, 2012.”
Annotations should be accurate, they should clearly identify information that was provided by the U.S. Copyright Office, they should cite the authority for any amendments or deletions that have been made, and they should identify the general topic or the specific field or space of the registration record that has been annotated (e.g., “Regarding Author Information,” “Regarding Limitation of Claim,” “Regarding Deposit,” etc.).
Annotations appear on the certificate of registration, generally under the heading “Copyright Office Notes.” They appear in the online public record under the heading “CO Annotation.”
An annotation is part of the registration record and a correct annotation generally will not be removed from the registration record once a registration has been made.
The U.S. Copyright Office will retain supporting documentation for an annotation (or amendment), such as an email, cover letter, fax, or note regarding a phone call. Both the certificate of registration and the online public record will indicate that correspondence relating to the claim is in the file.
Communication between the U.S. Copyright Office and the applicant regarding an application may take many different forms. This Section describes the ways in which an applicant may communicate with the Office and the means by which the Office communicates with the applicant in the course of examining an application.
Legal advice not provided. Communications involving the examination of an application should be limited to issues concerning registration and related matters. The U.S. Copyright Office’s staff will not offer legal opinions or advice on other matters, such as the rights of persons in connection with contracts, infringement disputes, or matters of a similar nature. 37 C.F.R. § 201.2(a)(3). Likewise, the Office’s staff will not offer or undertake to resolve disputes concerning conflicting claims to copyright. If there is a dispute between two or more parties involving a claim to copyright, it is the responsibility of each party to pursue their claims in an appropriate forum.
Communications to be clear, concise, and polite. All communications from the Office should be clear in meaning, concise in statement, and polite in tone. As a general rule, the Office will consider all oral or written communications from the applicant, but will not consider or respond to any abusive, offensive, or scurrilous communications directed to the Office or any of its staff. Similarly, the Office’s staff will terminate any conversation, correspondence, or interview, if the applicant makes abusive or scurrilous
statements or engages in threatening or otherwise inappropriate behavior. 37 C.F.R. § 201.2(c)(4).
Business conducted in the English language. Written communications to the Office should be in English. Communications from the Office are written in English, and as a general rule, oral communications with the Office are conducted in English. In limited circumstances and on special request, the Office may be able to examine applications or respond to communications that are written in languages other than English. The Office may provide this service as a courtesy, but it is under no obligation to do so and may ask the applicant to submit an English translation of statements that appear in the registration materials or in a communication from the applicant before it takes any action.
Communicating with persons with disabilities. The Office will make accommodations for persons with disabilities upon request.
An applicant may communicate with the U.S. Copyright Office by any of the means described in Sections 605.2(A) through 605.2(C).
When providing an email address or other contact information in the online application, the applicant must ensure that this information is entered correctly. When completing a paper application, the applicant must ensure that this information is both correct and legible. In all cases, the applicant must keep this information up-to-date while the claim is pending. If there are any changes, the applicant should notify the Office by contacting the registration specialist assigned to the claim, or by contacting the Public Information Office by phone or by email using the form provided on the Office's website.
If the applicant provides an email address in the application, the Office will use that address as the primary means for communicating with the applicant, even if the applicant also provides a telephone number, fax number, or other contact information. The Office cannot verify email addresses provided by applicants, and registration specialists do not receive an error message when they attempt to send an email to an incorrect or invalid address. Therefore, applicants must ensure that their email address has been entered correctly. If an applicant provides an inaccurate or invalid address, the file may be closed for failure to reply to a communication from the registration specialist. When a file is closed, the filing fee will not be refunded and the deposit copy(ies) will not be returned.
When an applicant prepares an online application, the applicant may provide additional information that is relevant to the examination process, such as explaining apparent discrepancies in the application or requesting special relief. This information may be provided in the online application in the field marked Note to Copyright Office, which appears on the Certification screen. Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in this field is limited to 2,000 characters.
The statements provided in the Note to Copyright Office field will not appear on the certificate of registration or the online public record. The U.S. Copyright Office will maintain a copy of the note in the registration record. If the note contains material information, the specialist may add that information to the registration record with an annotation, or may add a note to the certificate of registration and the online public record indicating that there is correspondence in the file.
An applicant may submit a cover letter with an application or with the deposit copy(ies). A cover letter may provide additional information that is relevant to the examination process, such as explaining apparent discrepancies in the application or justifying the applicant's request for special handling or special relief
When filing an online application, the applicant may upload a cover letter as part of the deposit, provided that the letter and the deposit are submitted as separate files. To submit a cover letter with a paper application, the applicant may attach it to the application.
A cover letter will not be returned to the applicant or attached as an exhibit to the certificate of registration. However, the U.S. Copyright Office will retain a copy of the letter in the registration record. If the letter was uploaded to the electronic registration system, the letter will be marked as 'correspondence.'
If the letter contains material information, the registration specialist may add that information to the registration record with an annotation, or may add a note to the certificate of registration and the online public record indicating that there is correspondence in the file. If there is a material variance between the information contained in the letter and elsewhere in the registration materials, the specialist may communicate with the applicant, which will delay the examination of the claim.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition, and to the circulars and other materials provided on the U.S. Copyright Office's website for information regarding an application. If the applicant still has questions regarding the processes and procedures for preparing or filing an application, the applicant may contact the Public Information Office by phone or by email using the form provided on the Office's website. For more information on contacting the Records, Research and Certification section, see Chapter 2400, Section 2403.
The registration specialist assigned to the claim will communicate with the applicant if he or she has questions regarding the registration materials.
The specialist may communicate by email, phone, fax, or letter. However, if the applicant provided an email address in the application, the specialist will use that address as the primary means for his or her communication.
In all cases, the specialist will provide the applicant with appropriate contact information for responding to his or her communication.
When communicating with an applicant by email, the U.S. Copyright Office will use one or more of the email addresses listed below.
Once an application has been filed, the applicant should routinely monitor his or her “in box” for messages sent from these addresses.
When a message arrives in the applicant’s in box, it may or may not be accompanied by the label “Copyright Office.” The applicant should ensure that the “spam filter” for his or her account does not block messages sent from the email addresses listed below. Likewise, the applicant should monitor his or her “spam,” “junk,” and/or “trash” folders for messages sent from these addresses.
Whenever possible the registration specialist will examine an application without communicating with the applicant. As a general rule, the specialist will communicate with the applicant if he or she discovers that the applicant failed to provide sufficient information in a particular field or space of the application or elsewhere in the registration materials, or if the applicant otherwise failed to meet the registration requirements. For example, the specialist will communicate with the applicant if the application is ambiguous, substantially incomplete, in conflict with other information in the registration materials or the U.S. Copyright Office’s records, in conflict with other information that is known to the Office, or indicates that the applicant misunderstands the registration requirements. By contrast, the specialist generally will not communicate with the applicant if he or she determines that the required information is clearly presented elsewhere in the registration materials.
If the registration specialist communicates with the applicant, either orally or in writing, the U.S. Copyright Office will retain a copy of the written communication or the specialist’s written notes concerning his or her conversation with the applicant. The registration record will indicate that there is correspondence in the file concerning the registration.
When the specialist adds information to or amends information within the registration record based on a communication with the applicant, the specialist will add a note containing the full name of the person who supplied the information, the organization or individual(s) that the person represents (if any), and the date the information was supplied. If the relationship between the person and the organization is clear from the information provided in the application, the name of the organization may be omitted from the note.
As a general rule, when the registration specialist communicates with the applicant, he or she may identify all of the issues involving the application or the other registration materials, even if those issues standing alone would not normally prompt a communication from the U.S. Copyright Office. In some cases, multiple communications from the specialist may be required. The fact that the specialist did not mention a particular issue in his or her initial communication does not prevent that specialist or another specialist from raising that issue or other issues in a subsequent communication. In some cases, the applicant’s response may resolve the issue(s) and no further communication is needed, or conversely the applicant’s response may raise other issues that may require additional communication from the specialist.
If the registration specialist discovers similar issues in multiple applications, he or she may discuss those applications in a single communication, instead of issuing a separate communication for each one.
If there are numerous variances in the registration materials, the specialist may simply return the claim to the applicant, provide links to the Compendium or other informational materials, and instruct the applicant to correct and resubmit the claim.
If the registration specialist has questions concerning the registration materials, he or she may attempt to resolve the issue by telephone. If so, the specialist will attempt to contact the person specified in the Correspondent field/space of the application using the telephone number provided in the application.
Before speaking with an individual who is not listed in the application, the specialist will confirm that the individual has been authorized to discuss the claim by the correspondent and/or the copyright claimant.
In all cases, the specialist will document the conversation by adding a note to the registration record identifying the name of the individual that he or she spoke with and the date of the conversation. If the specialist adds information to or amends information within the registration record based on an oral communication, the note should contain a brief summary of what was discussed and a brief explanation for any changes reflected in the registration record. The note should identify the date that the information was provided and the name of the party that the individual represents (if any). If the relationship between the individual and the party is clear from the information provided in the application, the name of the party may be omitted from the note.
A note should document any amendments made to the registration record, and is imperative when the amendment appears to be questionable on its face, but is clearly justified by the information provided in the telephone conversation. The U.S. Copyright Office will retain any such note in the registration record, and the record will indicate that there is correspondence in the file.
In some situations the specialist may ask for written confirmation authorizing the Office to make a change to the registration record, either by email, fax, or letter. The Office will retain this written confirmation, and the registration record will show that there is correspondence in the file.
If the specialist leaves a message on the applicant’s voicemail or answering machine, but does not receive a response within a reasonable amount of time, the specialist will call again or will follow up with a written communication.
The registration specialist may communicate with an applicant in writing, particularly if the issue is not appropriate for resolution in a telephone conversation.
Written communications will be sent to the person specified in the Correspondent field/space of the application. A communication may be sent by email, fax, or letter, but if the applicant provided an email address in the application, the specialist will use that address as the primary means for his or her communications.
The specialist will send his or her communication to the email address, fax number, or other address provided in the Correspondent field/space of the application. When completing this portion of the online application, the applicant must enter this information correctly. When completing a paper application, the applicant must ensure that this information is both correct and legible. In all cases, the applicant must keep this information up-to-date while the claim is pending. If there are any changes, the applicant should notify the Office using the procedure specified in Section 605.2.
The U.S. Copyright Office assigns a specific number to each application that it receives, such as “1-929700001.” This number is known as a case number or service request number (“SR Number”). The Office uses these numbers to keep track of the claim in the electronic registration system.
When a registration specialist sends an email concerning an application, the Office will assign a THREAD ID to that communication, such as “THREAD ID: 1-CKF1YO.” The THREAD ID appears at the end of the specialist’s email. The Office uses this number to connect the specialist’s email – and the applicant’s response to that message (if any) – to the appropriate registration record.
When a specialist sends a letter concerning an application, the Office will assign a correspondence identification number to that communication, such as “Correspondence ID: 1-GHKVFR.” This number will appear on the reply sheet that is attached to the letter. The Office uses these numbers to keep track of written correspondence, and to connect the applicant’s response (if any) with the appropriate registration record.
If the specialist communicates with the applicant by email, the specialist will provide specific instructions for responding to the message, such as:
“Please respond to the questions below within 45 days and include the [THREAD ID], using the brackets, as part of your response. The [THREAD-ID] is located below the Examiner’s signature block. The [THREAD ID] must be in the body of your response, NOT the subject line. If you put the [THREAD ID] in the subject line, we will not get your message.”
The THREAD ID that appears at the end of the specialist’s email must be included in the body of the applicant’s reply – preferably at the beginning of the reply message. This will allow the Office to connect the reply with the appropriate registration record.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not include the THREAD ID in the subject line of your reply message. If you do so, the system will not be able to connect the reply with the relevant registration record. Likewise, the reply will not be connected with the registration record if you fail to include the THREAD ID in the body of the reply, or if you include the THREAD ID in both the body and subject line of the reply. In such cases, the reply message will not be sent to the registration specialist, and the claim will be closed for failure to respond in a timely manner.
If the specialist communicates with the applicant by letter, the applicant may respond by phone, email, fax, or letter. If the applicant responds by email, the applicant should include the case number/service request number and correspondence identification number in the response. If the applicant responds by letter or by fax, the applicant should include the case number/service request number, correspondence identification number, and a copy of the reply sheet in the response.
The applicant may assign an internal tracking number to an online application by completing the field marked Applicant's Internal Tracking Number on the Certification screen. Providing a tracking number is optional and this feature is intended solely for the applicant's convenience. The U.S. Copyright Office does not use these numbers to keep track of pending applications or in its communications with applicants.
If the registration specialist asks the applicant to provide additional information in a telephone conversation, but does not receive a response during the conversation or within a reasonable amount of time thereafter, he or she will send an email, fax, or letter specifying that a phone call was held on a specific date and briefly summarizing the substance of the conversation. If the specialist does not receive a response to his or her written communication, the file will be closed within the time periods discussed in Sections 605.6(B) through 605.6(D).
As a general rule, the deadline for responding to an email from a registration specialist is forty-five calendar days. This deadline is calculated from the date the email was sent to the person specified in the Correspondent field/space of the application (or other designated party, if any).
The Correspondent listed in the application is solely responsible for providing a correct email address in the Correspondent field/space, and solely responsible for monitoring that address for communications from the U.S. Copyright Office. If the specialist does not receive a response to his or her email, the specialist will not follow-up with the applicant except in exceptional circumstances.
As discussed in Section 605.4, the THREAD ID that appears at the end of the specialist's email must be included in the body of the applicant's reply message (not the subject line). If the applicant fails to follow these instructions, or merely includes the case number/service request number in body or subject line of the message, the system will not be able to connect the reply with the registration record, and as a result, the claim will be closed for failure to respond within a timely manner.
For a discussion of the deadline for responding to an email requesting the deposit copy(ies), see Section 605.6(C).
When an applicant successfully submits an application and filing fee through the electronic registration system, the system will generate an automated message confirming that the application and filing fee were received.
If the U.S. Copyright Office does not receive the deposit copy(ies) within ninety calendar days, the system will generate an automated message notifying the applicant that the deposit copy has not been received. (For more information on Communications from the U.S. Copyright Office, see Section 605.3.) The applicant should submit the copy(ies) by uploading them through the electronic registration system (provided the copies are not subject to best edition requirements), or by sending the copy(ies) to the Office by mail together with the shipping slip. For information concerning these procedures, see Chapter 200, Section 204.3 and Chapter 1500, Section 1508.
The deadline for submitting the deposit copy(ies) is forty-five calendar days. This deadline is calculated from the date that the automated message was sent to the person specified in the Correspondent field/space of the application.
If a registration specialist communicates with the applicant by email and asks the applicant to submit the deposit copy(ies), the deadline for responding to that communication is forty-five calendar days. This deadline is calculated from the date the email is sent to the person specified in the Correspondent field/space of the application.
If the specialist does not receive a response to his or her email, the specialist will not follow-up with the applicant except in exceptional circumstances.
The deadline for responding to a letter from a registration specialist is forty-five calendar days. This deadline is calculated from the date set forth in the reply sheet that is enclosed with the letter.
If the specialist does not receive a response to his or her letter, the specialist will not follow-up with the applicant except in exceptional circumstances.
When the U.S. Copyright Office communicates with an applicant in writing, the applicant must respond before the deadlines specified in Section 605.6, depending upon the nature of the communication. The Office may consider and grant a reasonable request for an extension of time if the request is received in writing prior to the original deadline.
As a general rule, the registration specialist will not follow-up with the applicant if the applicant fails to respond in a timely manner. And as a general rule, the specialist will close the file as a “no reply” if the Office does not receive a response to an email or other written communication within the time allowed.
If the applicant wishes to proceed with a claim after the file has been closed, the applicant must reapply for registration by submitting a new application, filing fee, and deposit copy(ies). The effective date of registration will be based on the date that the new submission is received by the Office.
When an applicant fails to respond to a written communication, the Office will not inform the applicant that the file has been closed. Likewise, the Office will not refund the filing fee and will not return the deposit copy(ies).
If the applicant uploaded an electronic copy or phonorecord of a work through the electronic registration system, the deposit copy(ies) will remain in the registration record. If the applicant submitted a physical copy or phonorecord of a published work, the Library of Congress may select the copy(ies) for its collections. If the Library does not select the work for use in its collection, the deposit copy(ies) may be offered to another agency, library, or nonprofit institution, or they may be retained by the Office for a scheduled period of time.
If the applicant failed to respond to a written communication from the U.S. Copyright Office in a timely manner, and if the failure was caused by extraordinary circumstances, the Office may, in appropriate cases and at its sole discretion, grant a request to reopen the file, provided that (i) the request is made in writing and within a reasonable amount of time after the original deadline; (ii) a showing of good cause is made; and (iii) the Office has the deposit copy(ies) in its possession, or replacement deposit copy(ies) are submitted with a written declaration confirming that the replacement is identical to the deposit copy(ies) that were submitted with the application, including the copyright notice (if appropriate).
By way of example, the Office will not reopen a closed file if the applicant provided an incorrect email address or out-of-date contact information in the application. Likewise, the Office will not reopen a closed file if the applicant failed to monitor his or her “in box” or “spam,” “junk,” or “trash” folders for messages from the Office, or failed to ensure that the “spam filter” for his or her account does not block messages sent from the email addresses listed in Section 605.3(A).
A request to reopen should be submitted using the form provided on the Office’s website. An appropriate official from the Registration Program will determine whether the Office will reopen the file and will notify the applicant in writing of the Office’s decision. The Office will not consider multiple requests to reopen a claim that was closed for failure to respond in a timely manner.
An applicant may submit a request to withdraw a pending application at any time before the U.S. Copyright Office has issued a certificate of registration, has refused to register the claim, or has closed the claim for failure to reply to a written communication from the Office. For information concerning this procedure, see Chapter 200, Section 208.
If the U.S. Copyright Office determines that the deposit copy(ies) for an otherwise registrable work include some material that constitutes uncopyrightable subject matter, the Office may register the claim without corresponding with the applicant. However, the Office may send the applicant a written communication warning that the registration does not extend to the uncopyrightable subject matter. Communications will be sent to the person specified in the Correspondent field/space of the application (or other designated party, if any). The registration specialist will place a copy of the communication in the registration record, and the certificate of registration and the online public record will indicate the presence of correspondence in the file.
Warnings are intended to put the applicant, the claimant, the courts, and the general public on notice that the registration does not necessarily cover every element of the work. They may also indicate that the Office did not necessarily examine each element of the work for copyrightable authorship. The absence of a warning letter does not necessarily mean that every aspect of the work is copyrightable.
The U.S. Copyright Office has the exclusive authority to issue certificates of registration establishing the prima facie validity of the facts stated in the certificate. 17 U.S.C. § 410(a), (c). On occasion, the Office may register a claim to copyright, even though the Office has reasonable doubt as to whether the material submitted for registration constitutes copyrightable subject matter or whether the other legal and formal requirements of the statute have been met. This practice is known as the Rule of Doubt.
The Rule of Doubt notifies the claimant, the courts, and the general public that the Office is unwilling to grant a presumption of validity to certain aspects of the claim. As a general rule, the Office will apply the Rule of Doubt only in the following situations.
The Office may register a claim under the Rule of Doubt if the registration specialist is unable to examine the deposit copy(ies) to determine if the work contains copyrightable authorship. For example, the Office will apply the Rule of Doubt if the applicant submits an application to register a computer program with a deposit copy consisting of fifty pages of object code and ten or more consecutive pages of source code. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.20(c)(2)(vii)(A)(2), (B). Likewise, the Office may apply the Rule of Doubt at its discretion if the applicant submits a redacted deposit copy under a grant of special relief in order to protect trade secret material that appears in the work. (For a discussion of the procedure for requesting special relief or the practices and procedures for registering a computer program with a deposit containing object code, see Chapter 1500, Sections 1508.8 and 1509.1(F)(4)(b).)
In exceptional cases, the Office may apply the Rule of Doubt if the Office has not taken a position on a legal issue that is directly relevant to whether the work constitutes copyrightable subject matter or whether the other legal and formal requirements of the statute have been met. The Office will not register a claim under the Rule of Doubt simply because there is some uncertainty as to how that issue may be decided by a particular court.
In all cases, the Office will add an annotation to the certificate of registration and the online public record indicating that the work was registered under the Rule of Doubt. The Office also may send a letter to the applicant stating the reasons for its decision and a copy of the letter will be placed in the registration record. Both the certificate of registration and the online public record will indicate that correspondence relating to the claim is in the file.
In the event the U.S. Copyright Office determines that the claim does not meet certain requirements for registration based on the registration materials submitted, the registration specialist will refuse to register the work. A refusal to register the entire work will be made in a written communication signed or initialed by the registration specialist or supervisor assigned to the claim. The communication will be mailed to the address provided in the Correspondent field/space of the application. Examples of situations where the Office will refuse to register a claim include:
application to register the architectural work does not otherwise meet the requirements set forth in Copyright Office regulations. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.11.
If the applicant disagrees with the Office's determination, the applicant may appeal that decision within the Office. This is an administrative procedure known as a request for reconsideration. For information concerning this procedure, see Chapter 1700.
The U.S. Copyright Office has specified various administrative classes of works for registration and deposit purposes as authorized pursuant to Section 408(c)(1) of the Copyright Act. These classes are:
37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b). These classes or types of work are merely an administrative classification and do not affect the subject matter of copyright or the exclusive rights in a work. Nevertheless, the applicant should exercise judgment and care when selecting the Type of Work in the online application or selecting the appropriate form for a paper application. The selection should correspond to the predominant copyrightable authorship being claimed in the application. The initial selection may dictate the options for describing the authorship that the applicant intends to register and/or the deposit that is required. And it will determine the registration number that the Office ultimately issues. If the applicant chooses the wrong Type of Work or uses the wrong form for certain types of works, the registration specialist may change the Type of Work to the appropriate classification without communicating with the applicant.
For works that contain multiple types of authorship, see Section 609.3 below.
When completing an online application the applicant should select the category of work that is most appropriate for the work that the applicant intends to register and the authorship that appears in the work. These categories are listed under a drop down menu marked Type of Work. Once a selection has been made, the system will provide a brief description and representative examples of the types of works that fall within each category.
Once the applicant has selected the most appropriate classification for the work that will be submitted, the applicant must check the box that appears next to the following statement: “Click the box to confirm you have read the above description and selected the most appropriate type of work.” If the applicant fails to check this box the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
Once a selection has been made, the Type of Work field cannot be changed. If the applicant makes a selection that is not appropriate for the work that is submitted, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant, change the Type of Work field without communicating with the applicant, or register the claim with an annotation. If the work cannot be registered with the selected form, the specialist may refuse registration.
not select this option if the applicant intends to register the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work.
NOTE: The online application for a single serial issue may only be used to register an issue that qualifies as a collective work, and it may only be used to register an issue that has been published. To register an issue that does not satisfy these requirements, the applicant should select the online application for “Literary Work.”
The online application for a single serial issue may be used to register the issue as a whole. It also may be used to register the individual contributions that were first published within that issue, provided that (i) the claimant owns the copyright in the individual contributions and the issue as a whole, and (ii) if the contributions have not been previously published or previously registered. In no case may the claimant register a contribution that is in the public domain.
To register an article, photograph, or other contribution that is not owned by the claimant for the issue as a whole, or to register a contribution that was previously published in another medium, the applicant should prepare a separate application for each contribution, and should select the appropriate form of authorship for that work. For example, if the contribution is an article, the applicant should select Literary Work; if the contribution is a photograph, the applicant should select Work of the Visual Arts.
NOTE: It is also possible to register a group of serials or a group of contributions to a periodical with one application, one filing fee, and deposit copy(ies). For a discussion of these group registration options, see Chapter 1100, Sections 1107 and 1110.
Identifying the type of work that will be submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office is the first step in completing a paper application. The Office has prescribed five basic classes of works that may be registered with a paper application, and each of these classes has its own paper form. The applicant should select the form that is most appropriate for the work that the applicant intends to register and the authorship that appears in the work.
NOTE: A paper application may not be used to register an architectural work. To register this type of work, applicants must use the online application.
NOTE: Form SE may only be used to register an issue that qualifies as a collective work, and it may only be used to register an issue that has been published. To register an issue that does not satisfy these requirements, the applicant should use Form TX.
Form SE may be used to register the issue as a whole. It also may be used to register the individual contributions, provided that (i) the claimant owns the copyright in the individual contributions and the issue as a whole, and (ii) if the contributions have not been previously published or previously registered. In no case may the claimant register a contribution that is in the public domain.
To register an article, photograph, or other contribution that is not owned by the claimant for the issue as a whole, or to register a contribution that was previously published in another medium, the applicant should prepare a separate application for each contribution using the appropriate form for that type of work. For example, if the contribution is an article, the applicant should use Form TX; if the contribution is an illustration, the applicant should use Form VA.
NOTE: It is also possible to register a group of serials or a group of contributions to a periodical with one application, one filing fee, and deposit copy(ies). For a discussion of these group registration options, see Chapter 1100, Sections 1107 and 1110.
If the work contains more than one type of authorship, the applicant should select the type of work or the paper application that corresponds to the predominant form of copyrightable authorship in that work. For example, if the work is a website that contains a substantial amount of text combined with a few photographs, the applicant should select Literary Work (in the case of an online application) or Form TX (in the case of a paper application). If the website mostly contains photographs with a small amount of text, the applicant should select Work of the Visual Arts for an online application or Form VA for a paper application. If the types of authorship are roughly equal, the applicant may use either option that would be appropriate. However, there is an exception to this rule for claims that include any sound recording authorship. In this case, the applicant must select Sound Recording (in the case of an online application) or use Form SR (in the case of a paper application), regardless of whether sound recording is the predominant form of authorship in the work. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(2)(iii).
The application for copyright registration must specify the title(s) of the work(s) the applicant wishes to register. The application also should include any previous or alternative titles by which the work may be identified. 17 U.S.C. § 409(6). If the work being registered is part of a larger work or a series of works, the applicant may provide the title of the larger work or the title of the series. If the work being registered contains separate and independent works owned by the claimant and if those works are included in the claim, the applicant is strongly encouraged to provide the titles of those works in the Contents Title(s) field.
The title of the work will appear in the certificate of registration under the heading Title of Work, and it will appear in the online public record under the heading Application Title. The title that appears on the deposit copy(ies) will appear in the online public record under the heading Title. If there is no title on the deposit copy(ies), the title given in the application will appear in the online public record in both the Title field and the Application Title field.
When completing an online application, the applicant generally may provide five types of titles. These title types are listed on the Title screen under the drop down menu marked Title Type. The options include:
Title of work being registered.
Contents title(s).
When completing a paper application, the applicant may provide five types of titles. These title types are listed in space 1 of the application. The options include:
Each of these title types is discussed in Sections 610.2 through 610.5 below.
When completing an online application, the applicant should begin by selecting Title of Work Being Registered and entering the primary title for the work in that field (including any subtitles). If the applicant fails to provide this information, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
If the work contains a number of separate and independent works, such as an anthology, periodical, serial, or the like, and if the applicant intends to register the entire collective work, the title for that collective work should be provided as the Title of Work Being Registered.
If the applicant instead intends to register a contribution that has been included in a collective work, such as an article, a photograph, or the like, but does not intend to register the larger work as a whole (for instance, because the claimant does not own the copyright in the collective work), the title for the contribution should be provided as the Title of Work Being Registered. In all cases, the applicant should only provide titles for a contribution if the copyright claimant owns all of the rights in that contribution.
If the applicant intends to register a number of works with the unit of publication option, the applicant should provide a title for the unit as a whole, as well as the title for each component work that will be submitted for registration. For a discussion of the unit of publication option, see Chapter 1100, Section 1103.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should enter the title of the work in space 1 of the application under the heading Title of This Work. As the name suggests, the Title of This Work is the primary title of the work that the applicant intends to register (including any subtitles). If the applicant fails to provide this information, the application may be questioned, which may delay the examination of the application. Form SE also directs the applicant to provide the Title of This Serial. This space does not appear in the online application or other paper applications. As the name suggests, the Title of This Serial is the primary title of the serial that the applicant intends to register (including any subtitles). Additionally, the applicant should provide the volume and number for the specific issue that will be submitted for registration, the issue date that appears on the deposit copies (e.g., January 15, 2010; Spring 2012, etc.), and the frequency of publication for the specific serial.
Examples:
When completing an online application, the applicant should complete the field marked Previous or Alternative Title if the work:
When completing a paper application, the applicant should enter these types of titles on space 1 under the heading Previous or Alternative Titles.
As a general rule, a subtitle is not considered a Previous or Alternative Title.
Examples:
610.4 Works Containing Separate and Independent Works: Units of Publication, Collective Works, and Contributions to Collective Works
In the case of a unit of publication, a collective work that contains a number of separate and independent works (such as an anthology that contains a number of poems or a periodical that contains a number of articles and photographs), or a contribution to a collective work, the applicant should complete the field marked Title of Work Being Registered, which is discussed in Section 610.2 above. In addition, the applicant should complete the Contents Title field and/or the Title of Larger Work field. These fields are discussed in Sections 610.4(A) and 610.4(B) below.
610.4(A) Contents Title: Titles of Separate and Independent Works Included in a Larger Work
If the applicant intends to register any of the separate and independent works that appear in a collective work or a unit of publication the applicant should enter the titles of each contribution in the field marked Contents Title. These titles will appear in the online public record and certificate of registration under the heading Contents Title. Listing the content titles (i.e., the titles of separate and independent works that are owned by the copyright claimant) is beneficial for various reasons: (i) it provides a clear record of what the larger work contains; (ii) it clearly describes what the registration covers; and (iii) it makes these titles accessible as searchable terms in the online public record.
The total number of characters that may be provided in the Title of Work Being Registered field and the number of characters that may be provided in each Contents Title field is limited. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide one title in the relevant field, then click the Save button, and then repeat this process in order to prevent loss of data due to space limitations.
The registration specialist generally will not communicate with the applicant if the titles given in the Title of Work Being Registered field and the Contents Title field are the same, unless it is unclear whether the applicant intends to register the larger work or one of the separate and independent works that appears within the larger work.
Examples:
NOTE: The only paper application that specifically requests contents titles is Form SR. Space 1 of this application should be used to list the titles of any separate and independent sound recordings contained in the larger work that the applicant intends to register. In the alternative, the applicant may use one or more continuation sheets submitted on Form CON to list the titles of any separate and independent works included in the larger work. As is true for the online application, the applicant should only provide the titles of the individual sound recordings or other works that are owned by the copyright claimant.
If the applicant wishes to register a contribution to a larger work, such as an article that has been published in a newspaper, or a recording of a song that has been released on an album, the applicant should use the Title of Larger Work field to identify the larger work in which the contribution appears. When completing an online application the applicant should provide any volume number, issue date, or similar designation that may be used to identify the larger work, and, if applicable, the page number(s) within the larger work where the contribution appears.
If it appears that the applicant intends to register a separate and independent work that has been included in another work, and if the applicant fails to provide the title of the larger work, the registration specialist may add the missing title if it appears in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. If the title of the larger work is not specified in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. Generally, the registration specialist will communicate when it is unclear whether the applicant intends to register the larger work as a whole, or a separate and independent work that appears within the larger work.
information (title of the larger work, volume and issue number, issue date, and page numbers) to the Title of Larger Work field, and may add an annotation, such as: "Regarding title: Title of larger work added by Copyright Office from the copy."
NOTE: Space 1 of paper Forms TX and VA state that "If this work was published as a contribution to a periodical, serial, or collection, give the information about the collective work in which the contribution appeared." This space does not appear in the online application or other paper applications. If the applicant wishes to register a contribution to a larger work (but does not intend to register the larger work as a whole), the applicant should enter the title of that contribution in the space marked Title of this work. The title of the periodical, serial, or other collective work where the applicant's contribution appeared should be entered in the space marked Title of Collective Work.
If the applicant intends to register an episode or installment from a series of works, the applicant should provide the title of that episode or installment along with the title of the series. The Series Title is the main title by which the series is known.
Specifically, the applicant should list the title of the episode or installment as the Title of Work Being Registered, along with any number or other alphanumeric designation that has been assigned to that episode or installment (e.g., "Episode 217," "Fourth Installment," etc.). The applicant should enter the title of the series as the Series Title.
A registration for a particular episode or installment from a series of works covers the specific episode or installment that has been submitted for registration. The U.S. Copyright Office does not offer "blanket registrations" that cover future episodes or installments in the same series.
As a general rule, it is not possible to register an entire series with one application, because the individual episodes and installments in a series are typically published on different dates. Consequently, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the applicant provides the title for the entire series as the Title of Work Being Registered, or if it appears that the applicant is attempting to register separately published episodes or installments from a series of works with one application.
Examples:
applicant should provide “The Synod Syndrome (Pilot)” as the Title of Work Being Registered and Star Track as the Series Title.
As a general rule, the title that is specified in the application will be accepted without question. The registration specialist may change or correct any apparent spelling, capitalization, or punctuation mistakes in the title, but only if the misspelling or incorrect use of capital letters or punctuation appears to be unintentional. The specialist will use his or her judgment to determine whether an error was intentional or a typographical mistake.
Examples:
The applicant should not provide “Untitled,” “No Title,” “Working Title,” “No title yet,” or the like as the title of the work. It may be extremely difficult to find a work that has been registered under a generic title.
If the work is unpublished and if the author has not selected a title for the work as of the date that the application is submitted, the applicant should provide a descriptive title that identifies the author of the work, the general subject matter of the work, the type of work submitted for registration, or any other relevant information that a person searching the U.S. Copyright Office’s records would likely include in his or her search request.
Examples:
If the author decides to change the title after the work has been registered, the applicant may file an application for a supplementary registration to add the new title in the online public record. For guidance on this procedure, see Chapter 1800, Section 1802. If a previously registered, unpublished work is later published with a new title, the applicant may choose to reflect the new title by filing an application for a new basic registration for the first published edition of the work. (This is permissible even if the published edition is exactly the same as the previously registered, unpublished edition.) For information concerning this practice, see Chapter 500, Section 510.1.
610.6(B) Descriptive Titles That Appear to Be Incorrect
If the applicant provides a descriptive title that does not appear to describe the work that has been submitted for registration (such as "Study in Red" for a painting that is black and white), the registration specialist generally will accept the title specified in the application. However, the specialist may communicate with the applicant or register the claim with an annotation if there is a material variance between the title provided in the application and the title that appears on the deposit copy(ies). For examples of a material variance, see Section 610.6(D)(4).
610.6(C) Titles Consisting of Roman Letters and Arabic Numerals
The U.S. Copyright Office's electronic registration system only accepts titles consisting of Roman letters and/or Arabic numerals. It does not accept titles consisting of other types of letters, numerals, or characters, such as Cyrillic or Mandarin. Nor does it accept diacritical marks used in Spanish, French, German, or other foreign languages, such as ç, à, ñ, or ü.
The system will accept titles written in a foreign language, provided that the title consists of Roman letters and/or Arabic numerals. The title will appear on both the certificate of registration and the online public record, but without any diacritical marks.
The Office will accept a title consisting solely of numbers and/or letters, such as "L-1011," "24601," or "MX."
If there is a material variance between the title given in the application and the deposit copy(ies), and it is clear that both titles refer to the same work, the registration specialist may add the title that appears on the deposit copy(ies) to the title field of the online public record and/or the specialist may add an annotation to the registration record, such as: "Regarding title: Title on the deposit copy is ______."
The title may be taken from the cover, title page, spine, or any other place where a title may be found. If the deposit copy(ies) are submitted in electronic form, the title may be taken from the file name for the document (excluding extensions indicating the format of the document, such as .doc, .pdf, .mp3, etc.).
Examples:
Where the title provided in the application is a generic title, such as "story," "symphony," "picture," or the like, and the title on the deposit copy(ies) substantially adds to the identity of the work, the registration specialist may add the additional information to the online public record.
The registration specialist may amend the title provided in the application to indicate that the copy or phonorecord submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office is a specific version or a particular edition of the work, particularly if the applicant failed to exclude the prior versions or previous editions from the scope of the claim.
The applicant is solely responsible for ensuring that the work described in the application matches the copy or phonorecord that is submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office.
If there is a material variance between the title given in the application and the deposit copy(ies) and if it is unclear whether the application and deposit copy(ies) refer to the same work, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. Alternatively, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation that identifies the title appearing on the deposit.
The title given in the application is Davidson’s Biology for Preparatory Study. The title given on the deposit copies is Poems for Shona and Liletha. The registration specialist may communicate with the applicant to determine whether the correct deposit copies have been submitted or whether the title field should be revised.
The title provided in the application is Ten Frontier Women and the Founding of Carson City, and the title given on the deposit copies is Eight Frontier Men and the Founding of Calico. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding title information: Title on the deposit copy is ‘Eight Frontier Men and the Founding of Calico.’”
To register a work of authorship with the U.S. Copyright Office, the applicant must identify the year that the work was created. 17 U.S.C. § 409(7). A work is considered created when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. If the work was prepared over a period of time, the portion or portions of the work that existed in a fixed form on a particular date constitute the work that has been created as of that date. 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “created”). The year of creation is particularly important in the case of a work made for hire, an anonymous work, or a pseudonymous work, because this date may be used to calculate the term of the copyright. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).
When completing an online application, the applicant should identify the year that the work was completed on the Publication/Completion screen in the field marked Year of Completion (Year of Creation). The year of completion must be provided in four numeric digits.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should identify the year that the author completed the work on space 3(a) under the heading Year in Which Creation of This Work was Completed. The specific month and day that the author completed the work need not be provided.
If the work is unpublished and if the author created the work over an extended period of time, the applicant should provide the year of completion for the most recent iteration of the work. If the applicant provides a year of completion for each iteration of the work (e.g., a cover letter explaining that the author completed the first draft in 2006, the second draft in 2007, and the final draft in 2008), the registration specialist will replace that information with the year of completion for the most recent iteration, and will add an annotation to the registration record specifying the source of that information, such as: “Regarding year of completion: Corrected by Copyright Office from cover letter.”
If the author created multiple versions of the same work, each version is considered a separate work. 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “created”). As a general rule, the applicant must submit a separate application and filing fee for each of those versions. See 17 U.S.C. §§ 408(a), 409. In preparing each application, the applicant should provide the year of completion for the specific version that is being registered.
In some cases it may be possible to register multiple versions of the same work with one application, provided that the works qualify for a group registration option. For information concerning these options, see Chapter 1100.
The registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if the year of completion is inconsistent with or contradicted by other dates that appear in the registration materials.
For instance, the year of completion cannot be later than the date of publication specified in the application. If the date of publication predates the year of completion in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system. If the date of publication precedes the year of completion in a paper application, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine the correct completion and publication dates.
Moreover, the year of completion cannot be later than the date that the application is certified or the date that the application is received in the U.S. Copyright Office. The electronic registration system will not accept an online application if the date of receipt precedes the year of completion. If the date of certification or the date of receipt precedes the year of completion in a paper application, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine the correct completion date.
If the year of completion specified in the deposit copy(ies) is later than the year of completion specified in the application, the specialist may communicate with the applicant to determine the correct date. If the year of completion is clearly provided in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the specialist may amend the date provided in the application, and may add an annotation to the registration record, such as: “Regarding year of completion: Corrected by Copyright Office from statement on copy.”
will ask the applicant if the year of death is correct, and if so, to explain the discrepancy with the year of completion.
If the applicant fails to provide a year of completion in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
As a general rule, if the applicant fails to provide a year of completion in a paper application, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. If the year of completion is provided elsewhere in the registration materials, the specialist will add the missing information and provide an annotation, such as: “Regarding year of completion: Added by Copyright Office from cover letter.”
If the applicant cannot determine the exact year of completion, the applicant may provide a qualifying statement, such as “approximately,” “on or about,” “on or before,” or the like. In the case of an online application, this statement may be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field. On a paper application, this statement may be provided on the application itself or in a cover letter. The registration specialist will add the statement to the certificate of registration and the online public record with an annotation. In addition, the specialist will add a note to the record indicating that there is correspondence in the file.
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures regarding the date and nation of first publication for a work of authorship (if any).
For a general discussion of publication, see Chapter 1900.
If the work described in the application has been published, the applicant must specify the date of publication and nation of first publication for that work. 17 U.S.C. § 409(8).
For purposes of U.S. copyright law, “[p]ublication is the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.” 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “publication”).
For instance, a book is published when copies of the work are distributed online or in bookstores. A newspaper is distributed when copies are sold at newsstands or delivered to subscribers’ doorsteps. A song is distributed when print copies or phonorecords are sold (e.g., on sheet music or in mp3 format). Software is distributed when copies are distributed by purchase or license, whether in CD-ROM format or online (provided that the copies are actually downloaded and not merely accessed online). On the other hand, a draft dissertation or other manuscript that is sent to a dozen people for peer review with a note stating that the copy should not be shared with other parties is not considered publication.
Likewise, “offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display, constitutes publication.” Id. For example, when a motion picture distribution company offers copies of a motion picture to movie theaters for public showing in the theater, the movie is published.
“A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication.” Id. This is true regardless of the number of people who viewed the performance or display.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept the applicant’s determination that a work has been published.
For a general discussion of publication and for specific guidance on determining whether a particular work has been published, see Chapter 1900.
The applicant — not the U.S. Copyright Office — must determine whether the work is published or unpublished. This determination should be based on the facts that exist at the time the application is filed with the Office, and it should be based on the definition of publication under U.S. copyright law, even if the work was created or published in another country.
As a general rule, the Office will accept the applicant’s representation that the work is published or unpublished, unless that statement is implausible or is contradicted by information provided elsewhere in the registration materials or in the Office’s records or by information that is known to the registration specialist.
Upon request, the registration specialist will provide the applicant with general information about the provisions of the Copyright Act, including the statutory definition of publication, and will identify the relevant practices and procedures for registering a work with the Office. However, the Office will not give specific legal advice on whether a particular work has or has not been published or make that determination for the applicant.
The date of first publication is the date that copies or phonorecords of the work were first published with the authorization of the copyright owner.
The nation of first publication is the country where copies or phonorecords of the work were first published with the authorization of the copyright owner. The U.S. Copyright Office may use this information to determine whether the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law.
For information concerning the eligibility requirements, see Chapter 2000, Section 2003. For information concerning works published in more than one country either simultaneously or within thirty days of each other, see Section 612.7(j).
When completing an online application, the applicant should indicate whether the work is published or unpublished. The applicant will be asked to provide this information on the Publication / Completion screen by selecting “yes” or “no” in the drop down menu marked “Has this work been published?”
If the work has been published, the applicant should provide the specific month, day, and year that copies or phonorecords of the work were distributed for the first time or were offered to a group of persons for further distribution, public performance, or public display for the first time. This information should be provided in the field marked Date of First Publication.
If the applicant indicates that the work has been published, but fails to provide the specific month, day, and year that publication occurred, the application will be not be accepted by the Office’s electronic registration system.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should enter the month, day, and year of first publication on space 3(b) under the heading Date and Nation of First Publication of This Particular Work. If the work has not been published, space 3(b) should be left blank.
When completing an online application the applicant should identify the country in which the work was first published by selecting one of the countries listed in the drop down menu marked Nation of first publication. If the applicant indicates that the work has been published, but fails to provide a nation of first publication, the application will be not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
For a paper application, the nation of first publication should be listed on space 3(b) in the space marked Nation. If the work has not been published, space 3(b) should be left blank.
If an ISBN, ISSN, or other standard number has been assigned to the work, the applicant is strongly encouraged to include that number in the application. If this information is provided in the appropriate field it will appear on the certificate of registration, and in the case of an ISBN or ISSN, the number also will appear in the online public record for that work. This will assist in the identification of the work and may facilitate licensing.
The following standard numbers are currently available in the online application:
When completing the Publication / Completion screen in the online application, the applicant should select the appropriate prefix from the drop down menu marked "International Standard Number Type," and provide the relevant number in the field marked "International Standard Number." Forms TX, PA, VA, SR, and SE do not contain a specific space for providing a standard number, but this information may be provided in space 1.
The U.S. Copyright Office will not review the standard number to determine if it matches any number(s) appearing on the deposit copy(ies). Therefore, applicants should confirm that the number has been entered correctly.
The Office does not assign standard numbers for works of authorship. In the United States, ISBNs, ISSNs, and other standard numbers are administered by the following organizations:
ISSN: The Library of Congress (www.loc.gov/issn).
ISAN: ARIBSAN US (www.aribsan.com).
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office's practices and procedures for examining the Date and Nation of first publication field/space in an online application or a paper application.
As a general rule, if the applicant fails to complete the Date and Nation of first publication space in a paper application, the work will be registered as an unpublished work. The registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if information provided elsewhere in the registration materials clearly suggests that publication has occurred or if the specialist knows that the work has been published, such as a well-known novel or film.
As a general rule, if the applicant asserts that the work has been published, the work will be registered as a published work, unless the registration specialist discovers evidence to the contrary elsewhere in the registration materials.
The specialist may communicate with the applicant if the deposit copy(ies) or other information in the registration materials suggests that the work is unpublished or if it appears that the applicant provided a date and nation of first publication by mistake. For instance, the specialist may question whether publication has in fact occurred in cases such as the following:
As a general rule, if the applicant affirmatively states that the work is unpublished (in the case of an online application) or if the applicant does not complete the date and nation of first publication space (in the case of a paper application), the work will be registered as an unpublished work, unless the information provided elsewhere in the registration materials clearly suggest that publication has occurred.
If the applicant claims that the work is unpublished, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if the deposit copy(ies) or other information in the registration materials suggests that the work has been published. For example, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant in cases such as the following:
If the applicant provides a nation of first publication on a paper application, but fails to provide a date of first publication, the registration specialist may remove the country name from the registration record and register the work as unpublished (provided that the work appears to be unpublished). In such cases, the specialist will add an annotation to the registration record to document this change.
Example:
As a general rule, there is no need to explain the basis for the applicant's statement that the work is published or unpublished. The registration specialist will not communicate with the applicant if such extraneous statements are provided, unless they are contradicted by information found in the deposit copy(ies), elsewhere in the registration materials, or other materials.
Examples:
The applicant should provide the month, day, and year that the work was published for the first time. The application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system if the applicant selects "yes" in response to the question "has this work been published,"
but does not provide the month, day, and year of publication. If the applicant fails to provide the month, day, and year of publication on a paper application, or states that the date of first publication is “unknown,” the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant, unless this information is provided elsewhere in the registration materials.
Examples:
612.7(F) Exact Date of Publication Unknown
Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide a specific date of first publication. If the applicant cannot determine the exact date of first publication, the date may be qualified by “approximately,” “thereabouts,” “on or about,” “on or before,” “not later than,” or similar statements. In the case of an online application, a qualifying statement regarding the date of publication may be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field. In the case of a paper application, this statement may be provided on the application itself or in a cover letter. In such cases, the registration specialist will add an annotation to the certificate of registration and the online public record, such as: “Regarding publication: Applicant states ‘On or about May 15, 1981.’”
612.7(G) Multiple Dates of Publication
As a general rule, the applicant should provide only one date of publication, namely, the date that the work was published for the first time. In the case of a derivative work, the applicant should provide the date of publication for the new derivative authorship being registered.
If the applicant provides multiple publication dates, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine the date of first publication for the work described in the application.
By contrast, the applicant may be asked to provide a range of dates when completing an application for a group registration, such as a group of published photographs. For a discussion of group registration options, see Chapter 1100.
612.7(H) Future Date of Publication
As a general rule, the date of first publication cannot be later than the date that an online application is certified or the date that the application is received by the U.S. Copyright Office. The electronic registration system will not accept an online application where the submission date precedes the date of publication. If the applicant provides a future date of publication in a paper application, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine whether the work has been published, and if so, whether publication occurred on the date specified in the application.
Example:
If the applicant provides a date of publication that does not exist, or a date that is impossible or impractical based on information provided elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist will ask the applicant to explain the discrepancy.
Examples:
If the work was first published in the United States and another country on the same date, the applicant should provide United States as the nation of first publication. Likewise, the applicant should provide United States as the nation of first publication if the work was first published in a foreign country that has entered into a copyright treaty with the United States and if the work was subsequently published in the United States within thirty days thereafter. 17 U.S.C. § 104(b).
If the work was first published in two or more countries on the same date or within thirty days of each other, the applicant may provide the name of each country where the work was published. In the case of an online application, the applicant may provide the name of one country on the Publication/Completion screen in the field marked Nation of First Publication. The names of the other countries may be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field. In the case of a paper application the name of each country may be provided on the application itself, on a continuation sheet, or in a cover letter. The names of the additional countries may be added to the registration record with an annotation, such as: "Regarding publication: Applicant states simultaneously published in Nigeria and Ghana."
If the applicant lists two or more countries in the application, the registration specialist will assume that the work was published in each country on the same day or within thirty days of each other, absent conflicting information in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
If the applicant provides the name of a city, state, and country in the Nation of First Publication field/space, the registration specialist may include the name of the state and/or country, but will remove the name of the city from the registration record.
If the applicant provides the name of a state, territory, city, or other political subdivision, rather than the name of a country, the application will be accepted if the nation of first publication is obvious or if there is another basis for establishing that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law. For example, the specialist will accept an application if the applicant states that the work was first published in “Quebec” or “Wales,” although “Canada” or the “United Kingdom” would be preferable.
As a general rule, statements made on a paper application, such as “published on the internet” or “published online” are not acceptable. If the applicant identifies the nation of first publication as the “internet,” “online,” the “world wide web,” or the like, the specialist may ask the applicant to provide the name of a specific country from which the work is uploaded. If the work is eligible for copyright protection in the United States based on the information provided in the application, such as the author’s citizenship or domicile, the specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant. In this situation, the specialist will add an annotation, such as: “Regarding publication: Application states ‘internet’ as the nation of publication.”
If the nation of first publication is unknown, the applicant may select “not known” from the drop down menu of the online application. When completing a paper application, the applicant may leave space 3(b) blank or may state “not known.”
If the applicant fails to identify the nation of first publication, the application may be accepted if that information is provided elsewhere in the registration materials or if the registration specialist determines that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law based on the author’s citizenship or domicile. 17 U.S.C. § 104(b).
If there appears to be no other basis for establishing eligibility for copyright protection, the specialist will communicate with the applicant. If the nation of first publication is the only basis for establishing that the work is eligible for copyright protection, registration may be refused.
The applicant states that the nation of first publication is “not known,” but states that the author is a citizen of France. The application will be accepted.
The applicant states that the nation of first publication is “not known” and states that the author is a citizen of Eritrea and a domiciliary of Ethiopia. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant, because it is unclear whether the work is eligible for copyright protection in the United States based on the information provided.
613 Name of Author(s)
This Section describes the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for identifying the author of a work.
613.1 Who Is the Author?
To register a work with the U.S. Copyright Office, the applicant must identify the author or authors of the work submitted for registration, unless the work is anonymous or pseudonymous. 17 U.S.C. § 409(2). Generally, the author is the person (or persons) who actually created the material that the applicant intends to register. See, e.g., Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730, 737 (1989) (“As a general rule, the author is the party who actually creates the work, that is, the person who translates an idea into a fixed, tangible expression entitled to copyright protection.”); Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53, 58 (1884) (describing the author as the person “to whom anything owes its origin; originator; maker; one who completes a work of science or literature”). There is an exception to this rule if the work is a work made for hire. The author of a work made for hire is not the individual who actually created the work, but “the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared.” Community for Creative Non-Violence, 490 U.S. at 737; see also U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. v. Parts Geek LLC, 692 F. 3d 1009, 1015 (9th Cir. 2012). For a definition and discussion of works made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506.
613.2 When Authorship Is Determined
A work is protected by copyright from the moment that it has been fixed in a tangible medium of expression. 17 U.S.C. § 102(a). As soon as a work is written down on paper, captured on film, recorded in an audio file, saved onto an electronic storage device, or set in any other tangible medium of expression, the copyright immediately becomes the property of the author or authors who created the work (or in the case of a work made for hire, the employer of the person who created the work or the party that commissioned the work). 17 U.S.C. § 201(a), (b). Thus, the author of a work is determined when the work is created.
Examples:
613.3 Identifying the Authors Who Should Be Named in the Application
When completing an application, the applicant should only provide the name(s) of the author(s) who created the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register. Likewise, the applicant should only identify the author(s) who created the copyrightable material that is owned by the individual or entity who is named in the application as the copyright claimant.
The applicant should not provide the name of any person(s) who created material that is not owned by the copyright claimant or material that will not be submitted for registration. Likewise, there is no need to provide the name of any person(s) who created material that is de minimis or uncopyrightable.
613.4 Identifying the Authors of a Work Made for Hire
A work of authorship is considered a work made for hire (i) if the work was “prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment,” or (ii) if the work was “specially ordered or commissioned.” 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “work made for hire”).
For guidance in identifying the author of a work made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506.
613.5 Identifying the Authors of a Joint Work
A joint work is a work “prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.” 17 U.S.C. § 101. If the work submitted for registration is a joint work the applicant should provide the name of each author who contributed copyrightable authorship to the work that the applicant intends to register. If the applicant fails to name all the joint authors who are named in the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
For a general discussion of joint works, see Chapter 500, Section 505.
A derivative work is a work that is "based upon one or more preexisting works." 17 U.S.C. § 101. Typically, a derivative work is a new version of a preexisting work or an entirely new work that combines material from a preexisting work with an appreciable amount of new material.
If the applicant intends to register a derivative work, the applicant should provide the name of the author or authors who created the new or revised material submitted for registration.
As a general rule, the applicant should not provide the name of the author(s) who created any preexisting material that appears in the derivative work. If the author of the preexisting material is named in the application, the registration specialist may register the claim if this information is provided in the Material Excluded field (in the case of an online application) or the Preexisting Material space (in the case of a paper application).
Examples:
performance of a song which was written by Samuel Brackett. The applicant excludes the music from the claim by completing the Limitation of Claim screen, but does not provide Samuel's name in the Name of Author field. The registration specialist will register the claim.
For a general discussion of derivative works, see Chapter 500, Section 507. For guidance in completing the Material Excluded/New Material Included fields in the online application and spaces 6(a) and 6(b) in the paper application, see Section 621.
A compilation "is a work formed by the collection and assembling of preexisting materials or of data that are selected, coordinated, or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship." 17 U.S.C. § 101. A compilation may contain several forms of authorship:
If the applicant intends to register a compilation, the applicant should provide the name(s) of the author(s) who created the selection, coordination, and/or arrangement that the applicant intends to register.
An applicant may register a compilation together with the material contained therein, provided that (i) the material is copyrightable and (ii) the compilation and the material therein were created by the same author, and/or (iii) the copyright in the compilation and the material therein is owned by the copyright claimant. If so, the applicant should provide the name(s) of the author(s) who created the material that is included in the claim.
Examples:
613.8 Identifying the Author of a Collective Work or a Contribution to a Collective Work
The Copyright Act defines a collective work as “a work, such as a periodical issue, anthology, or encyclopedia, in which a number of contributions, constituting separate and independent works in themselves, are assembled into a collective whole.” 17 U.S.C. §
101. Collective works are a subset of compilations. Id. (definition of “compilation”). Therefore, for the collective whole to be registrable, the separate and independent works must be selected, coordinated, and/or arranged in such a way that “the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship.” Id.
A contribution to a collective work is a separate and independent work that has been included within a collective work, such as an article that has been included within a periodical or an essay that has been included within an anthology.
A collective work contains two different types of authorship:
An applicant may register a collective work together with the separate and independent works contained therein (i) if the copyright in the collective work and the contributions are owned by the same claimant, and (ii) if the component works have not been previously published, previously registered, and are not in the public domain.
If the applicant intends to register the copyright in the collective work as a whole, the applicant should identify the individual(s) or entity that selected, coordinated, and/or arranged the contributions and assembled them into a collective whole.
If the applicant intends to register a collective work together with the contributions that appear in that work and if the contributions were created by a person(s) who transferred his or her copyright to the claimant, the applicant should provide the name(s) of those author(s) in the Name of Author field/space.
If the applicant intends to register a contribution that appeared in the collective work, but does not intend to register the collective work as a whole, the applicant should identify the author of the contribution in the Name of Author field/space.
In all cases, the applicant should provide the name(s) of the author(s) who created the material that is owned by the copyright claimant and for which registration is sought. The applicant should not include the name(s) of author(s) who created any material that is not owned by the copyright claimant or any material that the applicant does not intend to register.
Examples:
company's employees. The others were written by freelance writers, but only two of those writers assigned the copyright in their contributions to the publisher. Health Publishing Company should be named as the author of the collective work as a whole, and the author of the articles written by its employees. The publisher also should provide the names of the two freelance authors who assigned their copyrights to the company. The remainder of the freelance authors should not be mentioned in the application, because the company does not own the copyright in their contributions.
For a discussion of the procedure for asserting a claim to copyright in a collective work and/or a contribution to a collective work, see Section 618.7. For a general discussion of collective works and contributions to collective works, see Chapter 500, Section 509.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide the full name of each author who created the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register.
If the copyrightable material was created by an individual, the applicant should provide the author's first and last name on the Authors screen in the field marked Individual. If the copyrightable material was created by or on behalf of a corporation, company, organization, or other legal entity, the applicant should provide the name of the entity in the field marked Organization.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should enter the author's full name on space 2(a) of the application in the space marked Name of Author. If the work was created by two or more authors, the applicant may provide the names of up to three authors on spaces 2(a), 2(b), and 2(c) of the application (or the names of up to two authors in the case of an application submitted on Form VA). The applicant may add the names of additional authors by completing and submitting as many continuation sheets as necessary.
As a general rule, the applicant should provide the name of the actual individual or entity that created the material that the applicant intends to register. However, there are three exceptions to this rule:
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office's practices and procedures for examining the Name of Author field/space.
For a discussion of the Office's practices and procedures for examining the Name of Author field/space in an application to register a work made for hire, an anonymous work, or a pseudonymous work, see Sections 614.2, 615.1, and 615.2.
The author(s) of the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register should be clearly identified in the application. As a general rule, the registration specialist will accept the information contained in the application unless it is contradicted by the information found elsewhere in the registration materials or information that is known to the U.S. Copyright Office.
The specialist will communicate with the applicant if it is unclear whether the person named in the application is the author of the work that has been submitted for registration. For example, the specialist may communicate if the applicant indicates that the work was created by a project manager, project coordinator, project head, financier, underwriter, researcher, reviewer, commentator, printer, artistic consultant, or any other term that suggests that the person named in the application may not be the actual author of the work. For the same reason, the specialist may communicate if the applicant indicates that the person named in the application merely reviewed, or transcribed the work, or merely suggested revisions or edits without contributing copyrightable authorship.
613.10(B) Name of Author: Variances
As a general rule, the person(s) named in the application as the author(s) of the work should be consistent with the information that appears on the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. Ordinarily, the registration specialist will give greater weight to the information that appears in the application. If appropriate, the registration specialist may add an annotation to the registration record, or a note to the online public record to clarify the information given in the application, or to add information that appears in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. As discussed in Section 603.2(C), the specialist may communicate with the applicant if there is a material variance between the information provided in the application and the information that appears on the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
613.10(B)(1) Variances Between the Name Provided in the Application and the Name Provided in the Deposit Copy(ies)
613.10(B)(1)(a) Minor Variances
If there is a minor variance between the name listed in the application and the name found on the deposit copy(ies), and if both names clearly refer to the same person, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant and without annotating the certificate of registration. The name that appears on the deposit copy(ies) may be added to the online public record if it is likely that a person searching the U.S. Copyright Office's records may use that name to locate the work.
Examples:
Liliana Sophia Monroe submits an application to register a poem. Liliana names herself as the author, but the deposit copy states that the work was "written by Lily Monroe." The registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant, and may add the name that appears on the deposit to the online public record.
John Smith submits an application to register a mash-up video and names himself as the author, but the deposit copy states that the work was “produced by Johnny Smythe.” The registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant, and may add the name that appears on the deposit to the online public record.
If there is a material variance between the name given in the application and the name given on the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist may register the claim if it is clear that both names refer to the same person. The name that appears on the deposit copy(ies) may be added to the online public record, and it may be added to the registration record with an annotation.
Examples:
of Jason and Cathy's performing group. The name that appears on the deposit copy may be added to the online public record.
If there is a material variance between the name listed in the application and the name given on the deposit copy(ies), and if it is unclear whether the names given in the application and the deposit copy(ies) refer to the same person, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant. If the applicant confirms that the name in the application is incorrect, the specialist will add the correct name to the registration record. If the applicant states that the name given in the application is correct, the specialist will register the claim. In addition, the specialist will add the name that appears on the deposit copy(ies) to the online public record, and will place a note in the registration record indicating that there is correspondence in the file.
Examples:
613.10(B)(2) Variance Between the Number of Authors Named in the Application and the Number of Authors Named in the Deposit Copy(ies)
If the authors named in the application are more numerous than the authors named in the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist may register the claim if the information specified on the deposit copy(ies) appears to be incomplete, provided that the application has been certified by or on behalf of one of the authors who is named in both the application and the deposit copy(ies). If the application has been certified by an author who is named in the application but not the deposit copy(ies), the specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
If the authors named in the deposit copy(ies) outnumber the authors named in the application and if it is clear that the unnamed authors created the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
appears in the application and the name that appears in the deposit copies.
As discussed in Section 613.3 the applicant should not provide the name of any person who created material that is not owned by the copyright claimant or material that the applicant does not intend to register. Likewise, the applicant should not provide the name of any person who created material that is de minimis or uncopyrightable.
As a general rule, if the applicant fails to mention an author who is named in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist will not communicate with the applicant if it is clear that the claimant does not own the copyright in that author’s contribution or if it is clear that the applicant does not intend to register that contribution. In making this determination, the specialist may consider the title of the work, the copyright notice, or any other information given in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. If appropriate, the registration specialist may add an annotation to the registration record to clarify the information given in the application or to add information that appears in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
Examples:
If the applicant fails to mention an author who is named in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist will not communicate with the applicant if the author’s contribution appears to be de minimis or uncopyrightable.
Examples:
title in the application, the registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant.
The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the applicant states that the author of the work is “unknown,” “not known,” or the like, because this type of statement suggests that the applicant and/or the claimant may not be entitled to register the work.
If the work was created by a single author, the applicant should identify the author of that work (unless the applicant has checked the box indicating that the work is an anonymous or pseudonymous work). For guidance in identifying the author of the work and completing the fields for an anonymous or pseudonymous work, see Sections 613.9, 615.1(B), and 615.2(B).
If the applicant fails to identify the author in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
If the applicant fails to identify the author in a paper application, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
If the work was created by a large number of authors, the applicant is encouraged to provide the name of each author in the application where it is feasible. Likewise, if the work contains or consists of separate and independent works created by a large number of authors and if the claimant owns the copyright in each of those contributions, the applicant is encouraged to identify the author of each contribution.
The Office will accept an application that provides representative names and identifies the number of additional authors included in the claim (e.g., “John Jones, Will Smith, Fred Johnson, and thirty-five other contributors”). However, the registration specialist will not add missing names to the application, even if the authors’ contributions are clearly specified in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
See Sohm v. Scholastic Inc., 959 F.3d 39, 52-53 (2d Cir. 2020) (a registration for a collective work may cover the constituent elements of that work even if the authors of those elements are not specified in the registration); Alaska Stock, LLC v. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., 747 F.3d 673, 685 (9th Cir. 2014) (same); Bean v. Pearson Education, Inc., 585 Fed. Appx. 461, 462 (9th Cir. 2014); Bean v. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., 585 Fed. Appx. 322, 322 (9th Cir. 2014) (same); Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. v. American Home Realty Network, LLC, 722 F.3d 591, 599-600 (4th Cir. 2013) (same).
This Section provides guidance on completing an application to register a work made for hire. For a definition of works made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506. For guidance in determining whether a particular work qualifies as a work made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506.4.
A work made for hire may be registered with an online application or with a paper application submitted on Forms TX, VA, PA, SR, or SE.
The term for a work made for hire is based on the year that the work was created or the date that the work was published. Therefore, the applicant must provide this information when completing an online application or a paper application. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Sections 611 and 612.
When completing an application the employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work should be named as the author (rather than the individual who actually created the work). In other words, if the work was created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment, the employer should be identified as the author (not the employee). If the work was specially ordered or commissioned as a work made for hire, the person or organization that ordered or commissioned the work should be listed as the author (rather than the individual who actually created the work). See 17 U.S.C. § 201(b).
If the employer or the party who ordered or commissioned the work is an individual, the applicant should enter that individual's first and last name in the field marked Individual Author. If the employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work is an organization, the applicant should provide the full name of that organization in the field marked Organization Name. In both cases, the applicant should choose 'yes' in response to the question 'Is this author's contribution a work made for hire?'
NOTE: If an organization is named as the author of the work, the box marked 'Is this author's contribution a work made for hire?' must be checked 'yes.' If the applicant provides the name of an organization and checks the 'no' box, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should list the name of the employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work on line 2(a) of the application in the space marked Name of Author. Additionally, the applicant should choose “yes” in response to the question “Is this author’s contribution a work made for hire?”
If the work was created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment and if the employer is an individual, the applicant should identify the employer’s country of citizenship and domicile (rather than the employee’s citizenship or domicile). Likewise, if the work was specially ordered or commissioned as a work made for hire and if the hiring party is an individual, the applicant should provide citizenship and domicile information for the party that ordered or commissioned the work (rather than the individual who actually created the work). By contrast, if the work was created for a company, organization, or other legal entity, the applicant should identify the country where the entity is domiciled, but need not provide a country of citizenship for that entity.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information by selecting one of the countries listed in the drop down menus that appear under the headings Citizenship and/or Domicile. When completing a paper application the applicant should insert this information on space 2. If the employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work is a citizen of or domiciled in more than one country, the applicant may specify any of the countries that establish that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law. For additional guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Section 617.
When completing an online or paper application, the applicant will be asked to identify the year that the author was born and the year that the author died. If the work is a work made for hire, this portion of the application should be left blank, even if the author is an individual, rather than a company or organization. The year of the author’s birth and death is not required in this situation, because the term of copyright for a work made for hire is based on the year the work was created or the year the work was published, rather than the author’s year of death. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).
A work is considered an “anonymous work” if “no natural person is identified as author” on the copies or phonorecords of the work. 17 U.S.C. § 101. A work is considered a “pseudonymous work” if “the author is identified under a fictitious name” on the copies or phonorecords of the work. Id. If the author’s name appears on the copies or phonorecords, the work is not an anonymous or pseudonymous work, even if the author does not wish to reveal his or her identity in the registration record.
The statute implies that anonymous works and pseudonymous works are limited to works created by natural persons. Compare id. (definitions of “anonymous” and “pseudonymous” works) with 17 U.S.C. § 302(c) (indicating that the term for anonymous and pseudonymous works may be based on the life of the author if his or her identity is revealed before the copyright expires). If the applicant checks the box indicating that the work is a work made for hire and checks the box marked Anonymous or Pseudonymous and/or leaves the Name of Author field/space blank, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. In such cases, the specialist will explain that a work made for hire cannot be registered as an anonymous or pseudonymous work and that the author's full name should be provided in the registration record.
Examples:
For a general discussion of anonymous and pseudonymous works, see Section 615.
614.1(F) Identifying the Claimant for a Work Made for Hire
When completing an online application or paper application, the applicant will be asked to identify the full name and address of the claimant. For purposes of copyright registration, the claimant for a work made for hire is either the author of the work (i.e., employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work) or a person or organization that obtained ownership of all the exclusive rights under copyright act by legal or written transfer. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(a)(3). If the person(s) or organization(s) named in the application as the author and copyright claimant are not the same, the applicant should provide a brief statement explaining how the claimant obtained ownership of the copyright. 17 U.S.C. § 409(5). For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Sections 619 and 620.
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for examining the work made for hire field/space in an online application or paper application.
If the work described in the application is a work made for hire, the box marked “Is this author’s contribution a work made for hire?” should be checked “yes.”
If the applicant indicates that the work is a work made for hire, and it appears the statutory definition has been met, the registration specialist generally will accept the applicant’s assertion.
If the applicant checks the box marked “yes,” but the application, deposit copy(ies), or other registration materials indicate that the work does not meet the statutory definition for a work made for hire, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. Likewise, if the work appears to be a work made for hire the specialist may communicate with the applicant if the applicant checks the box marked “no” or fails to complete this portion of the application.
As discussed in Chapter 500, Section 506.4, the applicant—not the U.S. Copyright Office—must determine whether a work meets the statutory definition of a work made for hire. The registration specialist generally will accept the applicant’s assertion regarding whether the work is a work made for hire, unless there is evidence to the contrary in the registration materials. As a general rule, the registration specialist will not ask the applicant to confirm that the work was created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment.
the author, the work made for hire box should be checked “yes,” and Briana’s name should be removed from the application. If Briana is not an employee, the applicant should provide a transfer statement explaining how the company obtained the copyright in this work.
If the applicant checks the work made for hire box or affirmatively states that the work was specially ordered or commissioned, the registration specialist will accept that assertion, unless there is evidence to the contrary in the registration materials. Ordinarily, the specialist will not ask the applicant to verify that there is a signed written agreement between the parties designating the work as a work made for hire or to submit a copy of that agreement. However, the application may be questioned if the work does not appear to fall within one or more of the nine categories of works listed in the statutory definition of works made for hire.
Examples:
definition, because a song is not one of the nine categories of works that may be specially ordered or commissioned.
For more information about works made for hire see Chapter 500, Section 506.1.
If the work is a work made for hire, the employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work should be named as the author. In other words, if the work made for hire was created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment, the employer should be identified as the author of the work, not the employee. Similarly, if the work made for hire was specially ordered or commissioned, the party that ordered or commissioned the work should be identified as the author of the work, not the individual who actually created the work. If it appears that the applicant has named an employee as the author of a work made for hire, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
specialist will communicate with the applicant. The application indicates that Berger & Berger hired Jeremy to create this work as a work made for hire. Therefore, the company should be listed as the author, the work made for hire question should be answered “yes,” and Jeremy’s name should be removed from the application.
The U.S. Copyright Office will accept an application that names the individual who actually created a work made for hire, provided that the employer or the party that ordered or commissioned the work is identified as the author and the relationship between the employer and the employee, or the relationship between the person or organization that ordered or commissioned the work and the individual who actually created the work, is clearly indicated.
A work created by an individual volunteer(s) may or may not be considered a work made for hire, depending on the facts and circumstances of the case. If the application names an organization or company as the author, and if the work made for hire question has been answered “yes,” the U.S. Copyright Office will not communicate with the applicant if it appears that the work was created by a volunteer.
If a legal entity, such as a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, foundation, university, or trust is named as the author of the work, the registration specialist will assume that the work is a work made for hire. This is due to the fact that an organization may be named as an author only if the work was created by the employees of that organization or if the organization specially ordered or commissioned the work as a work made for hire. In this situation the box marked “Is this author’s contribution a work made for hire?” should be checked “yes.” The application will be questioned if the box is checked “no.”
Examples: Application acceptable
Examples: Application questioned
614.2(B)(6) Individual Named as Author of a Work Made for Hire
When an applicant names an individual as the author (rather than a legal entity) and answers the work made for hire question “yes,” the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if it appears unlikely that the work is a work made for hire, based on the Office’s experience or based on the information set forth in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
If the information in the registration materials suggests that the individual is the employer of another person, the specialist will assume that the work was created by the individual's employee(s) while acting within the scope of their employment. If it appears that the individual may have commissioned the work, the specialist will assume that the work was specially ordered or commissioned by that individual, provided that the work falls within one or more of the nine categories of works listed in the statutory definition of works made for hire.
Examples: Application acceptable
communicating with the applicant. Because a work created as part of a motion picture is one of the nine categories of works that may be specially ordered or commissioned, the specialist will assume that Tim signed a written agreement with the other individuals specifying that their contributions would be considered a work made for hire.
Examples: Application questioned
For more information on works made for hire see Chapter 500, Section 506.1.
614.2(B)(7) Individual and Incorporated Organization Named Together as the Authors of a Work Made for Hire
If an individual and an incorporated entity (e.g., a corporation, a professional corporation, a limited liability company, etc.) are named together as the authors of the work, the registration specialist will conclude that the organization is a separate legal entity, rather than an assumed name or trade name for the individual (regardless of how the work made for hire question is answered).
As a general rule, the specialist will communicate with the applicant when both an individual and an incorporated entity are named together in the Name of Author field/space, because the identity of the author is unclear. Likewise, the specialist generally will communicate if the application indicates that an individual is “doing business as” or “trading as” a corporation. Ordinarily, the specialist will not communicate if it is clear from the registration materials as a whole that the incorporated entity is the author and that the relationship between the individual and the entity is merely descriptive.
Example: Application acceptable
Examples: Application questioned
614.2(B)(8) Individual and Unincorporated Organization Named Together as the Authors of a Work Made for Hire
In some cases, an individual author uses an unincorporated organization to conduct his or her business (e.g., “Jackson Charles doing business as Charles Photography,” “Sophia Tomasco d/b/a Tomasco Studios,” “Lucas Fleming trading as Fleming Designs”). In such cases, the Office considers the individual and the organization to be the same legal entity. If the individual author created the work on behalf of his or her own unincorporated organization, the individual should be named as the author of the work and the work made for hire box should be checked “no.”
Example:
As a general rule, the name of the author’s d.b.a. should not be provided in the Name of Author field/space. If the applicant wishes to include this information in the registration record, the d.b.a. should be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field. The registration specialist will add the name of the author’s d.b.a. to the certificate of registration and the online public record. In addition, the d.b.a. may be added as an index term if it is likely that users may use that term to search for the author’s works.
Example:
If an individual and an unincorporated organization are named together in the Name of Author field, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant unless the application clearly states that the individual is “doing business as” (dba) or “trading as” the organization or that the unincorporated organization is “solely owned by” the individual.
Examples:
registration specialist may communicate with the applicant, because it is unclear whether the author is Virginia McDonald or Associated Designs.
A work is considered an anonymous work if “no natural person is identified as author” on the copies or phonorecords of the work. 17 U.S.C. § 101. If the author’s name appears on the copies or phonorecords, the work is not an anonymous work, even if the author does not wish to reveal his or her identity in the registration record. In such cases, the applicant should provide the author’s real name in the application and the Anonymous box should not be checked. Likewise, a work does not qualify as an anonymous work based solely on the fact that the applicant cannot identify the person or persons who created the work.
The statute implies that anonymous works are limited to works created by natural persons. Compare id. (defining an “anonymous work” as “a work on the copies or phonorecords of which no natural person is identified as author”) with 17 U.S.C. § 302(c) (indicating that the term for an anonymous work may be based on the life of the author if his or her identity is revealed before the copyright expires). Therefore, the applicant should check the Anonymous box only if the author is a human being. If the author is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other legal entity, the author’s full name should be provided in the Name of Author field/space. If the applicant checks the Anonymous box or asserts that the author wishes to remain anonymous, the application may be questioned if the author appears to be a legal entity.
Applicants are encouraged to provide the author’s name in the application, even if the author’s name does not appear on the copies or phonorecords of the work. Providing the author’s name creates a clear record of authorship and ownership of the copyright, and it may extend or reduce the term of the copyright, depending on the circumstances. Ordinarily, the copyright for an anonymous work endures for a term of 95 years from the year of publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c). If the author’s identity is revealed in the registration record, the copyright will endure until 70 years after the author’s death. Id.; see also H.R. REP. NO. 94-1476, at 137 (1976), reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5659, 5753.
If the applicant provides the author’s name in the application, the registration specialist will assume that the applicant intended to reveal the author’s identity. Generally, the specialist will not ask the applicant to check the box marked “Anonymous,” even if the work satisfies the statutory definition for an anonymous work.
If the author’s name does not appear on the copies or phonorecords of the work, the applicant is not required to provide the author’s name in the application. Instead, the applicant may leave the Name of the Author field/space blank and check the box marked “Anonymous.” (If the applicant fails to provide the author’s name and fails to check the Anonymous box in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.)
If the applicant does not provide the author’s name, the applicant should identify the year that the work was created, and if the work has been published, the applicant should provide the date of publication. In addition, the applicant should provide the author’s nation of citizenship and/or nation of domicile, even if the author’s name has not been disclosed. The Office may use this information to determine if the work is eligible for copyright protection in the United States. If the applicant fails to provide this information, the application may be questioned.
The statute states that the application shall include “the name . . . of the copyright claimant.” 17 U.S.C. §§ 409(1), (3). But Congress also intended to give authors the ability to register their works anonymously. Allowing applicants to state “anonymous” in one part of the application, while requiring them to disclose the author’s real name in the other, would undermine that objective and discourage anonymous authors from registering their works with the Office.
As described in Section 615.3 below, the information provided on the application becomes part of the public record. Therefore, if the work satisfies the statutory definition of an anonymous work, and if the author does not wish to disclose his or her real name anywhere in the application, the applicant may state “Anonymous” in the fields/spaces marked Name of Author, Name of Claimant, Rights and Permissions, Correspondent, and Certification, instead of providing the author’s real name.
A work is considered a pseudonymous work if “the author is identified under a fictitious name” on the copies or phonorecords of the work. 17 U.S.C. § 101.
The statute implies that pseudonymous works are limited to works created by an individual. Compare id. (definition of “pseudonymous work”) with 17 U.S.C. § 302(c) (indicating that the term for a pseudonymous work may be based on the life of the author if his or her identity is revealed before the copyright expires). Therefore, the applicant should check the Pseudonymous box only if the author is a human being. If the author is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other legal entity, the author’s full name should be provided in the Name of Author field/space. If the applicant checks the Pseudonymous box, the application may be questioned if the author appears to be a legal entity.
A pseudonym must be a name. The U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a number or symbol as a pseudonym.
The name of a performing group is not a pseudonym and should not be provided in the Name of Author field/space. Instead, applicants should provide the names of the individuals who created or performed the work described in the application, even if the copies or phonorecords of the work indicate that the work was created or performed by a performing group as a whole. Providing the names of the individual members of the performing group creates a clear record of authorship, given that the members of the performing group may change over time. For additional information concerning this issue, see Chapter 800, Section 802.8(D) and 803.8(C).
Similarly, the name of the author’s d.b.a. (“doing business as”) designation is not a pseudonym and should not be provided in the Name of Author field/space.
If the applicant would like to include the name of a performing group or the name of the author’s d.b.a. in the registration record, that name should be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field or in a cover letter. The registration specialist will add the name of the author’s performing group to the record as an index term. The specialist will include the name of the author’s d.b.a. on the certificate of registration and the online public record, and will add that name as an index term if it is likely that members of the public may use the d.b.a. to search for the author’s works.
If the author’s real name appears anywhere on the copies or phonorecords (including the copyright notice), the work is not a pseudonymous work, even if the author does not wish to reveal his or her identity in the registration record and even if the author is generally known by his or her pseudonym. 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “pseudonymous work”). In this case, the applicant should provide the author’s real name in the application and the Pseudonymous box should not be checked. Likewise, a work does not qualify as a pseudonymous work based solely on the fact that the applicant cannot identify the person or persons who created the work.
Applicants are encouraged to provide the author’s real name in the application, even if the author’s name does not appear on the copies or phonorecords of the work. In the alternative, the applicant may provide the author’s full name and the author’s pseudonym, provided that the application clearly indicates which is the real name and which is the pseudonym (e.g., “Samuel Clemens, whose pseudonym is Mark Twain”).
Providing the author’s real name creates a clear record of authorship and ownership of the copyright, and it may extend or reduce the term of the copyright, depending on the circumstances. Ordinarily, the copyright for pseudonymous work endures for a term of 95 years from the year of publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c). However, if the author of the work is a natural person and if the identity of the author is revealed in the registration record, the copyright will endure until 70 years after the author’s death. Id.; see also, H.R. REP. No. 94-1476, at 137 (1976), reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5659, 5753.
If the applicant provides the author’s real name in the application (even though it does not appear anywhere on the deposit copy(ies)), the registration specialist will assume that the applicant intended to reveal the author’s identity. In this situation, the specialist will not ask the applicant to check the box marked “Pseudonymous,” even if the work satisfies the statutory definition for a pseudonymous work.
If a fictitious name appears on the copies or phonorecords of the work, the applicant is not required to provide the author’s real name in the application. Instead, the applicant may provide the author’s pseudonym in the field marked Pseudonym (in the case of an online application) or in the Name of the Author field/space (in the case of an online or paper application). In such cases, the applicant should check the box marked “Pseudonymous” to indicate that the applicant intends to register a pseudonymous work. (If the applicant fails to complete the Pseudonym field, and fails to check the Pseudonymous box in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.)
Although the statute states that the application shall include “the name . . . of the copyright claimant,” Congress clearly intended to give authors the ability to register their works under an assumed name. 17 U.S.C. §§ 409(1), (3). Allowing applicants to provide a fictitious name in one part of the application, while requiring them to disclose the author’s real name in the other, would undermine that objective and discourage pseudonymous authors from registering their works with the Office.
As described in Section 615.3 below, the information provided on the application will become part of the public record. Therefore, if the work satisfies the statutory definition of a pseudonymous work, and if the author does not wish to disclose his or her real name, the applicant may provide the author’s pseudonym in the fields/spaces marked Name of Author, Name of Claimant, Rights and Permissions, Correspondent, and/or Certification, instead of providing the author’s real name.
Examples:
615.2(C) Name of the Author Omitted
As a general rule, if the applicant checks the Pseudonymous box but fails to provide the author's pseudonym or the author's real name in the Name of Author field/space, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant. In the alternative, the specialist may add the name that appears on the deposit copy(ies) if that name is clearly identified as the author's pseudonym.
615.3 Privacy Concerns
Because registration records are open to the public, an applicant should not disclose the author's real name or address in an application for an anonymous or pseudonymous work if the author does not wish to make that information public. If the applicant discloses the author's identity or the author's address on the application, that information will appear on the certificate of registration. In addition, this information will appear in the online public record for the work, which may be accessed by anyone who searches for the work on the Office's website.
Once a certificate of registration has been issued, the Office cannot remove the author's name from the registration record or replace it with a pseudonym. The author, claimant, or their respective representatives may submit a written request to the Office to substitute the author's current legal name for the name shown in the online public record (but not the offline public record). To do so, the requesting party must submit an affidavit together with a court order granting the legal name change, and must pay the appropriate fee for this service. For more information on this procedure, see Chapter 1800, Section 1805.
For a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
When completing an application to register a work with the U.S. Copyright Office, the applicant will be asked to identify the year that the author was born. This information may be useful in identifying the author of the work. Providing the author’s year of birth is optional and an application will be accepted even if this portion of the application is left blank.
If the applicant provides the author’s year of birth, the registration specialist will not question that date unless it is obviously wrong (e.g., the date of birth provided is the current year).
As discussed in Section 614.1(D), the author’s year of birth should not be provided if the work was created as a work made for hire.
Because registration records are open to the public, an applicant should not disclose the author’s year of birth on the application if the author does not wish to make that information public. If the applicant discloses the author’s date of birth on the application, the year of birth will appear on the certificate of registration, which will be made available to the public upon request. In addition, the author’s year of birth will appear in the online public record for the work, which may be accessed by anyone who searches for the work on the Office’s website.
For a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
When completing an application to register a work with the U.S. Copyright Office, the applicant will be asked if the author of the work is deceased. The applicant should provide a year of death if the work was created by a natural person who is deceased as of the date that the application is filed. If the work was created by two or more authors, the applicant should provide a year of death for each individual who is deceased. 17 U.S.C. § 409(2). The author’s year of death is required because the term of copyright for certain unpublished works created before 1978 and for all works created after 1978 is based on the year that the author died (unless the work is a work made for hire, an anonymous work, or a pseudonymous work). 17 U.S.C. §§ 302(a), (b); 303(a).
As a general rule, the registration specialist will not question a year of death unless it is obviously wrong (e.g., a year of death occurring before the year that the work was created).
If the applicant fails to provide a year of death in the application and if the information in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials indicate that the author may be deceased, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if that information could be used to determine the term of copyright.
Examples:
Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide the author's year of death if the work was created by a human being and if the work is being registered as an anonymous or pseudonymous work. The Office will accept an application if the applicant fails to provide this information, because the term of copyright for an anonymous or pseudonymous work may be calculated based on the year the work was created or the year the work was published. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c). Providing the author's year of death is useful, because if the author's real name is revealed in records maintained by the Office, the term of copyright will be calculated based on the year of the author's death, rather than the year of creation or publication. Id.; see also, H.R. REP. No. 94-1476, at 137 (1976), reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5659, 5753.
By contrast, the applicant should not provide the author's year of death if the work is being registered as a work made for hire. The year of death is not required in this situation, because the term of copyright for a work made for hire is based on the year the work was created or the year the work was published.
For a definition and discussion of anonymous works and pseudonymous works, see Sections 615.1 and 615.2. For a definition and discussion of works made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506.
If the applicant chooses to provide the author’s year of birth in an online application, the applicant should provide only the author’s birth year. The online system will not accept an entry that contains the month, day, and year that the author was born. Likewise, if the author is deceased, the applicant should list only the year the author died, rather than the month, day, and year of the author’s death.
If the applicant chooses to provide the author’s year of birth in a paper application, the applicant should enter only the author’s birth year in the space marked Year Born. If the applicant gives the month, day, and year of birth, the certificate of registration and online record will reflect only the year of birth. If the author is deceased, the applicant should list only the author’s year of death in the space marked Year Died. If the applicant gives the month, day, and year of death, the certificate of registration and online record will reflect only the year of death.
If the applicant cannot determine the exact year of birth and/or death, the applicant may provide a good faith estimate qualified by the phrase “on or about,” “approximately,” or the like. When completing an online application, this statement may be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field. In a paper application this statement may be provided on the application itself or in a cover letter. In both cases, the registration specialist will add an annotation to the registration record, such as: “Regarding author information: Applicant states author’s year of birth is ‘approximately 1952.’”
The application should identify the citizenship and/or domicile of the author, regardless of whether the work described in the application is an anonymous work or a pseudonymous work, or whether the work was created by a natural person or a corporation, a limited liability company, a limited partnership, or a similar legal entity. 17 U.S.C. § 409(2), (3). This information may be used to determine whether the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law.
Unpublished works are eligible for copyright protection in the United States, but published works may not be eligible if they are first published in, or by authors of, countries that have not entered into a copyright treaty with the United States. 17 U.S.C. § 104(a), (b). For information concerning these eligibility requirements, see Chapter 2000, Section 2003.
The terms “citizenship” and “nationality” mean the same thing. Specifically, they mean that the author is a citizen of a particular country, or that the author owes permanent allegiance to a particular country, even though he or she is not a citizen of that nation.
The author’s domicile is the country where the author has a fixed and permanent residence, where the author intends to maintain his or her residence for an unlimited time, and whenever absent, where the author intends to return. Mere residence is not the equivalent of domicile and does not provide a basis for establishing eligibility.
If the work has been published, the applicant should provide the author’s citizenship and domicile as of the date that the work was first published. The fact that the author’s citizenship and/or domicile may have changed after the work was first published is irrelevant. For example, if the author was a Tunisian citizen when the work was first published and subsequently became a French citizen, the applicant should identify the author’s country of citizenship as “Tunisia” rather than “France.” rather than 'France.'
If the work is a work made for hire the applicant should indicate the citizenship and/or domicile of the employer or the person or entity that ordered or commissioned the work. For example, if the work was created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment and the employer is a legal entity, the applicant should identify the nation in which the employer entity is domiciled (rather than the employee’s country of citizenship or domicile). If the work was specially ordered or commissioned as a work made for hire, the applicant should provide citizenship or domicile information for the party that ordered or commissioned the work (rather than the individual who actually created the work).
For questions regarding nationality of a legal entity, see Chapter 2000, Section 2005.5. For a definition and discussion of works made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506.
The applicant should provide the author’s citizenship or domicile, even if the author’s real name is not provided in the application and does not appear on copies or phonorecords of the work.
If the applicant fails to provide this information in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system. If the applicant fails to provide this information on a paper application, the application will be questioned if there is no other basis for establishing that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law.
For a discussion of anonymous and pseudonymous works, see Sections 615.1 and 615.2.
If the work described in the application is a derivative work, the applicant should provide the citizenship and/or domicile of the author or authors who created the new material and/or revised material that appears in the derivative work. If the work described in the application is a compilation, the applicant should list the citizenship and/or domicile of the author or authors who selected, coordinated, and/or arranged the preexisting material or data that appears in the compilation.
As a general rule, the applicant need not provide citizenship or domicile information for the author or authors who created any preexisting material or data that may appear in a derivative work or a compilation.
For a general discussion of derivative works and compilations, see Chapter 500, Sections 507 and 508.
When completing the Authors screen in the online application the applicant should identify the nation of citizenship and domicile for each author named in the application. Specifically, the applicant should select one of the countries listed in the drop down menu under the headings Citizenship and Domicile. If the applicant fails to complete this portion of the application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
When completing a paper application, the citizenship and domicile for each author named in the application should be entered in space 2 in the spaces marked “Citizen of _____” and “Domiciled in _____.”
If the author is a citizen of or domiciled in more than one country, the applicant may provide the name of each country where the author is a citizen or is domiciled. In the case of an online application, the applicant may provide the name of one country on the Author screen and the names of the other countries may be provided in the Note to Copyright Office field. In the case of a paper application, the name of each country may be provided on the application itself, on a continuation sheet, or in a cover letter. In the alternative, the applicant may provide the name of any country that establishes that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law.
If the author is a stateless person, the applicant may select “no place” from the drop down menu in the online application or state “no place” or “stateless” in the paper application.
If the citizenship and domicile for the author is unknown, the applicant may select “not known” from the drop down menu in the online application. When completing a paper application, the applicant may leave this portion of the application blank or may state “not known.”
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for examining the Citizenship and Domicile field/space in an online application or a paper application.
As a general rule, the registration specialist will accept a statement concerning the author’s citizenship or domicile, unless it is clearly inconsistent with the facts set forth in the registration materials or other information known to the U.S. Copyright Office.
Examples:
If the applicant provides the name of a city, state, and country in the Citizenship or Domicile field/space, the registration specialist may include the name of the state and/or country but will remove the name of the city from the registration record.
If the applicant provides the name of a city, state, territory, or other political subdivision rather than the name of a country, the application will be accepted if the author's nation of citizenship or domicile is obvious or if there is another basis for establishing that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law. For example, if the applicant states that the author is a citizen of "Puerto Rico" or "Scotland," the specialist will accept the application, although "United States" or the "United Kingdom" would be preferable.
617.7(B) Citizenship and Domicile in Multiple Countries
If the application indicates that the author is a citizen of or domiciled in multiple countries, the names of the additional countries may be added to the registration record with an annotation, such as: "Regarding citizenship/domicile: Application states Trinidad and the United States."
617.7(C) Stateless Persons
If the application states "no place" in the Citizenship or Domicile field/space, the registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant on the assumption that the author is a stateless person. 17 U.S.C. § 104(b)(1).
617.7(D) Citizenship and Domicile Unknown
If the applicant states that the author's citizenship or domicile is "not known" or fails to complete this portion of the application, the application may be accepted if that information is provided elsewhere in the registration materials or if the registration specialist determines that the work is otherwise eligible for copyright protection under U.S. copyright law.
Examples:
If there appears to be no basis for establishing eligibility, the specialist will communicate with the applicant. If the applicant is unable to identify the author’s citizenship and domicile, registration may be refused if that is the only basis for establishing that the work is eligible for copyright protection under U.S. law.
Examples:
This Section discusses the procedure for asserting a claim to copyright in a work of authorship.
To register a work of authorship the applicant must file an application that clearly identifies the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register, and the applicant must assert a claim to copyright in that authorship. The information provided in the application defines the claim that is being registered, rather than the information provided in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
When completing an online application, the applicant should identify the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register on the Authors screen in the field marked Author Created. When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information on space 2 of the application under the heading Nature of Authorship. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Section 618.4.
The U.S. Copyright Office registers claims to copyright in works of authorship. As a general rule, the Office will issue one registration for each work that is submitted for registration. The registration specialist may examine the individual elements or components of a work to determine if the work as a whole contains a sufficient amount of creative expression to warrant registration. However, the Office will not issue separate registrations for the constituent elements or components of a work of authorship. Likewise, the Office will not issue separate registrations to each author who contributed copyrightable expression to a work of authorship (except as contributions to a collective work or derivative works).
As a general rule, the specialist will register a claim to copyright if the claim is clearly supported by the information provided in the application and the deposit copy(ies), and if the other formal and legal requirements have been met. If the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space is completed incorrectly, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation if the specialist determines that the claim is clear from the registration materials as a whole. As a general rule, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the claim is unclear and if the issue cannot be addressed with an annotation.
The information provided in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space will appear on the certificate of registration in a space marked Author Created and in the online public record in the field marked Authorship (regardless of whether the applicant submits an online application or a paper application).
See Corrections and Amplifications of Copyright Registrations; Applications for Supplementary Registration, 63 Fed. Reg. 59,235 (Nov. 3, 1998) (“The Copyright Office follows the general policy of requiring all authors and copyright claimants to supply information, consistent with 17 U.S.C. § 409, concerning the authorship being claimed in the application for registration.”).
A registration only covers the new material that the author contributed to the work. As explained in Section 621, a registration does not extend to any unclaimable material that may appear in the work, namely:
If the work contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant must exclude that material from the claim and limit the application to the new copyrightable material that the author contributed to the work. When completing an online application the applicant should provide this information on the Limitation of Claim screen; when completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information in spaces 5 and/or 6(a) and 6(b) of the application.
For a discussion of the U.S. Copyright Office's practices and procedures for limiting a claim to copyright, see Section 621.
As a general rule, a claim to copyright is defined by the information provided in the Author Created field (in the case of an online application) or in the Nature of Authorship space (in the case of a paper application). Therefore, all of the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register should be identified in these fields/spaces.
When an applicant excludes material from the claim and limits the application to the new copyrightable material that the author contributed to the work, the claim to copyright is defined by the information provided in the New Material Included field of the online application or the information provided in space 6(b) of the paper application as modified by the material excluded field/space. Therefore, all of the new copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register should be described in the New Material Included field or in space 6(b), as applicable.
This Section provides guidance on completing the Author Created field in the online application and the Nature of Authorship space in the paper application. For guidance on completing an application to register a derivative work, a compilation, or a collective work, see Sections 618.5, 618.6, and 618.7. For guidance on completing an application to register specific types of literary works, works of the performing arts, and visual art works, see Chapters 700, 800, and 900.
When completing an online application, the applicant should identify the authorship that the applicant intends to register on the Authors screen by checking one or more of the boxes in the Author Created field that accurately describe the authorship that is owned by the copyright claimant.
The options for each type of work are listed below:
Literary Works
Works of the Visual Arts
Works of the Performing Arts
Sound Recordings
Motion Pictures and Audiovisual Works
Single Issue of a Serial Publication
For a definition and discussion of these terms, see Section 618.4(C). For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Author Created field, see Section 618.4(D).
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept any of these terms or any combination of these terms, provided that they accurately describe the copyrightable authorship being claimed. If the information provided in the Author Created field is contradicted by the information provided elsewhere in the registration materials, and if the issue cannot be addressed with an annotation, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
The applicant should check the boxes that describe the authorship created by the author(s) named in the application that is owned by the individual(s) or entity(ies) who are named in the application as the copyright claimant(s). The applicant should not assert a claim in material created by authors who are not named in the application, material that is not owned by the copyright claimant, material that will not be submitted for registration, or material that does not appear in the work. Likewise, the applicant should not assert a claim in any material that is uncopyrightable or de minimis. For information concerning claims in uncopyrightable or de minimis material, see Sections 618.8(C) and 618.8(D).
The applicant should check the boxes that identify the specific type of authorship that the applicant intends to register. For example, if the applicant intends to register a screenplay or a computer program, the applicant should check the boxes marked “script/screenplay” or “computer program,” rather than the boxes marked “editing” or “text.” Likewise, if the applicant intends to register an atlas or a necklace, the applicant should check the boxes marked “map” or “jewelry design,” rather than the boxes marked “sculpture” or “2-D artwork.”
If the terms provided in the checkboxes do not fully describe the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register, the applicant should provide a more specific description in the “Other” field.
Created field or by stating “text of introduction” in the Author Created / Other field.
Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in the Author Created / Other field is limited to 100 characters. If more space is required, the applicant should provide the additional information in the Note to Copyright Office field.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should identify the authorship that is owned by the copyright claimant that the applicant intends to register. The applicant should not assert a claim in material that is not owned by the copyright claimant, material that was not created by the author(s) named in the application, material that will not be submitted for registration, or material that does not appear in the work. Likewise, the applicant should not assert a claim in any material that is uncopyrightable or de minimis. For information concerning claims in uncopyrightable or de minimis material, see Sections 618.8(C) and 618.8(D).
When completing a paper application using Form VA, the applicant should check one or more of the boxes in space 2 that accurately describe the authorship that the applicant intends to register. When completing a paper application using Forms TX, PA, SR, or SE, the applicant should provide a brief statement that accurately describes the authorship that will be submitted for registration. This statement should be provided in space 2 of the application under the heading Nature of Authorship. If the applicant needs more space to provide a complete and accurate description of the claim, the applicant should complete and submit as many continuation sheets as necessary.
The U.S. Copyright Office may accept any of the terms listed below or any combination of those terms that are not redundant or duplicative (e.g., “text” and “computer program” when support for each term is nonexistent), provided that they accurately describe the copyrightable authorship being claimed. In some cases, the Office may accept variant forms of these terms. If the statement provided in the Nature of Authorship space is contradicted by the information provided in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
For a definition and discussion of the following terms, see Section 618.4(C). For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Nature of Authorship space, see Section 618.4(D).
Literary Works / Form TX
Works of the Visual Arts / Form VA. When completing a paper application using Form VA, the applicant should check one or more of the boxes in space 2 that accurately describe the authorship that the applicant intends to register. The options include:
Works of the Performing Arts / Form PA
Choreographic work
Pantomime
Sound Recordings / Form SR
Motion Pictures or Audiovisual Works / Form PA
Single Serial Issue (i.e., a single issue of a serial publication) / Form SE
This Section provides a definition and discussion of the various terms that may be used to assert a claim to copyright in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
registering separable artwork that has been incorporated into a useful article, see Chapter 900, Section 925.
contribution to a joint work, a work made for hire, or a derivative work of the individual or entity who selects the takes and shots from a motion picture or other audiovisual work, and splices them into sequences to achieve continuity and a desired dramatic, comedic, and/or thematic effect. For a discussion of the specific practices and procedures for registering motion pictures and other audiovisual works, see Chapter 800, Section 807 and 808.
For information concerning editorial revisions in a literary work, see Chapter 700, Section 709.4. For editing involving a musical work, see Chapter 800, Section 802.6(I). For digital editing in photography, see Chapter 900, Section 909.3(A).
be used to describe holograms. For a discussion of the specific practices and procedures for registering photographs, see Chapter 900, Section 909.
The term “sculpture” or “3-dimensional sculpture” may be used to describe three-dimensional artwork that has been incorporated into a useful article, provided that the sculpture can be separated from the useful article. For a discussion of the specific practices and procedures for registering a separable sculpture that has been applied to a useful article, see Chapter 900, Section 924.
embodied in the recording. For example, a song that is captured in a sound recording is a separate work from the recording of that song and a book that is captured in an audiobook is a separate work from the recording of that book. For a discussion of the specific practices and procedures for registering a sound recording, see Chapter 800, Section 803.
This Section provides representative examples for completing the Author Created field in the online application, as well as the Nature of Authorship space in the paper application.
Online application for a blueprint that depicts the specifications for a new product.
Author Created: Technical drawing.
Online application for the design of a house.
Author Created: Architectural work.
A derivative work “is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgement, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted.” 17 U.S.C. § 101.
To register a claim to copyright in a derivative work the applicant should identify the new material that the author contributed to the work, as well as “any preexisting work or works that it is based on or incorporates.” 17 U.S.C. § 409(9). By definition, a derivative work contains two types of authorship:
When completing an online application, the applicant should identify the new authorship that the applicant intends to register on the Authors screen. Specifically, the applicant should check one or more of the boxes that appear under the heading Author Created that accurately describe the new copyrightable material that will be submitted for registration. If none of these terms fully describe the new material that the applicant intends to register, the applicant should provide a more specific description in the field marked Other. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Section 618.4(A).
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information in space 2 under the heading Nature of Authorship. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Section 618.4(B).
Derivative works often contain previously published material, previously registered material, public domain material, or material owned by a third party, because by definition, they are based upon one or more preexisting works. 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “derivative work”). If a derivative work contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should limit the claim to the new copyrightable material that the author contributed to the work using the procedure described in Section 621.8.
For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Author Created field and the Nature of Authorship space in an application to register a derivative work, see Section 621.8(E).
A compilation “is a work formed by the collection and assembling of preexisting materials or of data that are selected, coordinated, or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship.” 17 U.S.C. § 101.
A compilation may contain several distinct forms of authorship. There may be selection authorship involved in choosing the material or data that will be included in the compilation. There may be coordination authorship involved in classifying, categorizing, ordering, or grouping the material or data. In addition, there may be arrangement authorship involved in determining the placement or arrangement of the material or data within the compilation as a whole. A registration for a compilation may cover each type of authorship if that authorship is sufficiently creative, but it does not cover any preexisting material or data that appears within the compilation unless that material (i) is copyrightable, (ii) is owned by the copyright claimant, and (iii) is specifically claimed in the application. Likewise, it does not cover any preexisting material or data that has been previously published or previously registered, or any material that is in the public domain. 17 U.S.C. § 103(b).
To register a claim to copyright in a compilation the applicant should identify the new material that the author contributed to the work and should specify the preexisting material or data that was selected, coordinated, and/or arranged (e.g., “selection and arrangement of data” or “compilation of sound recordings”). 17 U.S.C. § 409(9).
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information on the Authors screen in the field marked Other. Specifically, the applicant should provide a brief statement that (i) identifies the preexisting material or data that appears in the compilation and (ii) specifies whether the author selected, coordinated, and/or arranged that material or data.
Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in the Author Created / Other field is limited to 100 characters. If more space is required, the applicant should provide the additional information in the Note to Copyright Office field.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide a brief statement in space 2 under the heading Nature of Authorship that identifies the authorship that the applicant intends to register.
As a general rule, if the applicant states “compilation of _____” and specifies the preexisting material or data that appears in the work, the registration specialist may register the claim, provided that the selection, coordination, and/or arrangement authorship that the applicant intends to register is clearly evident from the deposit copy(ies).
Author Created/Other: Compilation of poems by W.B. Yeats.
Author Created/Other: Compilation of big band sound recordings.
Author Created/Other: Compilation of major league baseball statistics.
If the selection, coordination, and/or arrangement authorship is not demonstrated in the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant, which will delay the examination of the claim. In such cases, the specialist may ask the applicant to provide a more specific authorship statement, such as:
As discussed above, a claim to copyright in a compilation may cover the preexisting material that appears in that work, provided it (i) is sufficiently creative and copyrightable, (ii) is owned by the copyright claimant, (iii) is specifically claimed in the application, and (iv) has not been previously published or previously registered. In no case may the claimant register material or data that is in the public domain. 17 U.S.C. §103(b).
Compilations often contain unclaimable material, such as a selection of data that has been previously registered, a coordination of data that has been previously published, or an arrangement of data that is owned by a third party. If a compilation contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should exclude that material from the claim using the procedure described in Section 621.8.
A collective work “is a work, such as a periodical issue, anthology, or encyclopedia, in which a number of contributions, constituting separate and independent works in themselves, are assembled into a collective whole.” 17 U.S.C. § 101.
To register a claim in a collective work and/or a contribution to a collective work, the applicant should identify the authorship that the applicant intends to register. By definition, a collective work contains two types of authorship:
An applicant may register both forms of authorship (i) if the author created both the component works and the collective work authorship (i.e., the creative selection, coordination, and/or arrangement of the component works), and/or (ii) if the claimant fully owns the copyright in the contributions and the collective work at the time the claim is submitted, and (iii) if the component works have not been previously published, previously registered, and are not in the public domain.
Collective works often contain unclaimable material, such as contributions that are not owned by the copyright claimant or contributions that were previously registered or previously published. If a collective work contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should exclude that material from the claim using the procedure described in Section 621.8. For guidance in registering a catalog as a collective work, see Chapter 900, Section 915.
If the applicant intends to register the compilation authorship involved in creating the collective work as a whole, the applicant should describe that authorship on the Authors screen in the field marked Author Created/Other. Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in the Author Created/Other field is limited to 100 characters. If more space is required, the applicant should provide the additional information in the Note to Copyright Office field.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide a brief statement in space 2 under the heading marked Nature of Authorship that describes the compilation authorship that the applicant intends to register.
As a general rule, if the applicant states “collective work” the registration specialist may register the claim. The specialist may register the claim if the applicant states “compilation,” provided that the selection, coordination, and/or arrangement authorship that the applicant intends to register is clearly evident from the deposit copy(ies). The specialist also may register the claim if the applicant states “compilation of _” and specifies the type of contributions that appear within the collective work.
Author Created/Other: Compilation of articles, photographs, and illustrations.
If the selection, coordination, and/or arrangement authorship is not clear from the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. In such cases, the specialist may ask the applicant to provide a more specific authorship statement using the guidelines set forth in Section 618.6.
For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Author Created field and the Nature of Authorship space in an application to register a collective work, see Section 618.7(D).
If the applicant intends to register a contribution to a collective work, but does not intend to register the collective work as a whole, the applicant should provide the title of the contribution in the Title of Work Being Registered field. The applicant should provide the title of the collective work in which the contribution appears in the Title of Larger Work field. For guidance on completing these fields on the Titles screen, see Sections 610.2 and 610.4(B). The applicant should assert a claim in that contribution by checking one or more of the boxes in the Author Created field that accurately describes that contribution. For guidance on completing this field, see Section 618.4(A).
To register a contribution to a collective work with a paper application, the applicant should identify the authorship that the applicant intends to register in space 2 under the heading Nature of Authorship.
For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Author Created field and the Nature of Authorship space in an application to register a contribution to a collective work, see Section 618.7(D).
NOTE: If the claimant owns the copyright in the individual contribution(s) that appear within a collective work, but does not own the copyright in the collective work as a whole, the applicant generally must submit a separate application for each contribution. In some cases, it may be possible to register multiple contributions using the group option for contributions to periodicals, the group option for unpublished works, or the group option for published or unpublished photographs. For information concerning these options, see Chapter 1100, Sections 1106, 1110, and 1114.
If the claimant owns the copyright in the collective work as a whole, and owns the copyright in one or more of the contributions that appear within that work, the applicant may register those contributions together with the collective work – but only if those contributions have not been previously published or previously registered. In no case may the claimant register a contribution that is in the public domain.
If the author of the collective work created the contributions that appear within the collective work, the applicant may register the contributions together with the collective work by providing the following information in the online application:
The applicant may provide the titles of the contributions that were created by the author of the collective work, although this is optional. Specifically, the applicant may provide this information in the Contents Title field. For guidance on completing this portion of the Titles screen, see Section 610.4. Alternatively, the applicant may identify the contributions that were created by the author of the collective work by providing the titles of those works in the New Material Included field and by disclaiming “all other contributions” in the Material Excluded field. Alternatively, the applicant may identify the contributions that are not owned by the claimant (if any) by providing the titles of those works in the Material Excluded field and by stating “all other contributions” in the New Material Included field. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Section 621.8(D).
If the claimant owns the copyright in the collective work and the individual contributions – but is not the author of those contributions – the applicant may register the contributions together with the collective work by providing the following information in the online application:
provide this information on the Authors screen in the field marked Author Created/Other. Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in the Author Created/Other field is limited to 100 characters. If more space is required, the applicant may provide additional information in the Note to Copyright Office field. Alternatively, the applicant may identify the contributions that are not owned by the copyright claimant by disclaiming those titles in the Material Excluded field, and by stating “all other contributions” in the New Material Included field. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Section 621.8(D).
If the work contains contributions created by other authors, the applicant should repeat the process set forth in the bullets immediately above for each contribution that the applicant intends to register.
To register a collective work and/or a contribution to a collective work with a paper application, the applicant should identify the authorship that the applicant intends to register in space 2 under the heading Nature of Authorship.
For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Author Created field and the Nature of Authorship space in an application to register a contribution to a collective work, see Section 618.7(D). For guidance in registering a catalog as a collective work, see Chapter 900, Section 915.
This Section discusses the procedure for asserting a claim to copyright in a single issue of a serial publication. A serial publication is a work that is published or intended to be published at regular or stated intervals on an indefinite basis where each issue is numbered or dated consecutively, such as a newspaper, magazine, or newsletter. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(1)(v).
If the applicant intends to register a single issue of a serial publication, then as discussed in Section 609.1, the applicant should select Single Serial Issue from the drop down menu on the Type of Work screen. When completing a paper application, the applicant should use Form SE, as discussed in Section 609.2
NOTE: These applications may only be used to register an issue that has been published, and they may only be used to register an issue that qualifies as a collective work. If the issue does not satisfy these requirements, then as discussed in Sections 609.1 and 609.2, the applicant should use Form TX or the online application for a “Literary Work.”
If the applicant intends to register the authorship involved in selecting, coordinating, and/or arranging the content that appears within the issue as a whole, the applicant should check the box marked “Collective Work Authorship.”
If the applicant intends to register the authorship involved in creating the issue as a whole, and one or more of the contribution(s) that were first published in that issue, the applicant should check the box marked “Collective Work Authorship and Component Work(s) authored or fully owned by the Collective Work Author.” Specifically, this box may be used to register the authorship involved in selecting, coordinating, and/or arranging the content that appears within the issue as well as the individual contributions within the issue, (i) if the copyright in the contributions and the collective work are owned by the same claimant, and (ii) if the component works have not been previously published, previously registered, and are not in the public domain.
For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the Author Created field and the Nature of Authorship space in an application to register a single serial issue together with the contributions that appear within that issue, see Section 618.7(D).
NOTE: As a general rule, if the claimant owns the copyright in the individual contribution(s), but does not own the copyright in the issue as a whole, the applicant must submit a separate application for each contribution. In some cases, it may be possible to register multiple contributions using the group registration options for contributions to periodicals or published or unpublished photographs. For information concerning these options, and the group registration options for serials, newspapers, and newsletters, see Chapter 1100, Sections 1107, 1108, 1109, 1110, and 1114.
This Section provides representative examples for completing the Author Created field in an online application for a collective work and/or a contribution to a collective work (including a single issue of a serial publication).
Type of work: Literary work.
Title of work being registered: Fierce.
Name of Author: Pride Publishers.
Work made for hire: Yes.
Author Created/Other: Compilation of text, photographs, and artwork.
Type of work: Single serial issue.
Title of work being registered: Fitness, Vol. 7, No. 77, Spring
2014.
Name of Author: HealthNet, Inc.
Work made for hire: Yes.
Author Created: Collective Work Authorship and Component Work(s) authored or fully owned by the Collective Work Author.
Content created by American Wildlife employees:
Type of work: Literary work.
Title of work being registered: Fauna.
Contents Title (Optional): [Titles of contributions created by American Wildlife's employees].
Name of Author: American Wildlife LLC
Work made for hire: Yes.
Author Created: Text, photograph(s)
Author Created/Other: Maps, compilation of text, photographs, and maps.
Name of Claimant: American Wildlife LLC.
Content created by freelance writers:
Name of Author (Optional): [Name of freelance writer].
Work made for hire: No.
Author Created/Other (Optional): [Title of the contribution created by the freelance writer; repeat for contributions created by other freelance writers].
Name of Claimant: American Wildlife LLC.
Transfer statement: 'By written agreement with all contributors,' 'by written agreement(s) with individual contributors not named on the application/certificate,' or the like.
selecting, coordinating, and arranging the content that appears in the latest issue. It also intends to register the individual articles, photographs, and other content created by its employees. The publisher does not intend to register content created and owned by third parties, such as the advertisements or content by freelance writers or photographers.
Type of work: Single serial issue.
Title of work being registered: Driven, Vol. 12, Issue 2, Winter 2012.
Name of Author: McCallister & Co.
Work made for hire: Yes.
Author Created: Collective Work Authorship and Component Work(s) authored or fully owned by the Collective Work Author.
Limitation of Claim / Material Excluded / Other: Content created and owned by third parties.
Limitation of Claim / New Material Included / Other: Collective Work Authorship and Component Work(s) authored or fully owned by the Collective Work Author.
Content created by Horologiste employees:
Type of work: Single serial issue.
Title of work being registered: Chronometrics.
Issue date on copies: March 2016
Name of Author: Horologiste S.A.
Work made for hire: Yes.
Author Created: Collective Work Authorship and Component Work(s) authored or fully owned by the Collective Work Author
Name of Claimant: Horologiste S.A.
Content created by freelance writers:
Author Created: Collective Work Authorship and Component Work(s) authored or fully owned by the Collective Work Author
Name of Claimant: Horologiste S.A.
Transfer statement: By written agreement(s) with individual contributors not named on the application/certificate.
Type of work: Literary work.
Title of work being registered: “A Sneak Peek at the Breitling Navitimer”
Title of larger work: Chronometrics (March 2016, p. 16).
Name of Author: Al Thomas.
Work made for hire: No.
Author Created: Text.
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for examining the Author Created field in an online application and the Nature of Authorship space in a paper application.
The authorship that the applicant intends to register should be clearly identified in the application and the claim to copyright in that authorship should be clearly stated.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept any of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C), any of the terms set forth in Sections 618.6 or 618.7 (in the case of an application to register a compilation, a collective work, or a contribution to a collective work), or any combination of those terms, unless the information provided in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space fails to describe the authorship that the applicant intends to register, fails to describe copyrightable authorship, or is contradicted by information provided elsewhere in the registration materials.
The Office recognizes that many applicants are not familiar with the correct terms for completing an application or may make a mistake in completing the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space. As a general rule, “[a]ny substantive editing of authorship and/or new matter statements and/or material excluded from claim statements, will be done only after contacting the applicant for permission to amend the information” set forth in that portion of the application. Online Registration of Claims to Copyright, 72 Fed. Reg. 36,883, 36,887 (July 6, 2007). In some cases, the registration specialist may add an annotation to the record to clarify the copyrightable material that the author contributed to the work. As a general rule, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the information provided in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space is unclear and the issue cannot be addressed with an annotation.
Examples of unclear terms that should be avoided in the application are discussed in Sections 618.8(A)(1) through 618.8(A)(11) below.
As a general rule, the terms “2-D artwork” or “sculpture” should be used to describe the copyrightable authorship in a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, while the term “computer program” should be used to describe the copyrightable authorship in a computer program.
The term “design” should not be used in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because it suggests that the applicant may be asserting a claim in an idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery.
If an applicant uses the term “design” in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space for a pictorial or graphic work, the registration specialist may register the claim, if that term is clearly being used to describe copyrightable artwork.
If the applicant appears to be asserting a claim in the ideas, concepts, or methods embodied in the work or the plan, scheme, layout, or format of the work, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. Alternatively, the specialist may add an annotation to the registration record, provided that the work contains a sufficient amount of copyrightable authorship to warrant registration.
Examples:
As a general rule, the specialist will communicate with the applicant if the applicant appears to be using the term “design” to assert a claim in a useful article, a typeface, mere variations of typographic ornamentation, or other de minimis or uncopyrightable material. If the work is not separable from the useful article, or if it does not contain a sufficient amount of copyrightable authorship, the specialist will refuse registration.
Examples:
flower. The registration specialist will ask the applicant for permission to remove this term from the application and replace it with an appropriate authorship statement, such as “2-D artwork.”
As a general rule, “text” should be used to describe the copyrightable authorship in a literary work, and “2-D artwork” or “sculpture” should be used to describe the copyrightable authorship in a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work. To describe the copyrightable authorship in a videogame, the applicant should use the term “audiovisual material” or “computer program” depending upon what is being registered. For information concerning the practices and procedures for registering videogames and board games, see Chapter 800, Section 807.7(A) and Chapter 900, Section 910.
The term “game” should not be used in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because it is not a form of copyrightable authorship. It also suggests that the applicant may be asserting a claim in the idea for a game or the method or procedures for playing a game.
Example:
If the applicant uses the term “game” to describe an audiovisual work, the registration specialist will ask the applicant to provide a more specific authorship statement, such as “audiovisual material.”
If the applicant uses the term “game” to describe a literary work and/or a pictorial or graphic work, the registration specialist may register the claim if the work contains a sufficient amount of copyrightable authorship to warrant registration. In this situation, the specialist may add an annotation indicating that the registration does not cover the uncopyrightable elements of the game.
Examples:
618.8(A)(3) Packaging
As a general rule, “text,” “2-D artwork,” and/or “photograph(s)” should be used to describe the copyrightable authorship that appears on product packaging.
The term “packaging” should not be used in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because the packaging for a work — in and of itself — does not constitute copyrightable subject matter.
Example:
If the applicant uses the term “packaging” alone, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to request a more appropriate authorship statement. If the copyrightable authorship on the packaging is stated in terms such as “text and artwork on packaging,” the specialist will register the claim. However, if the work does not contain a sufficient amount of copyrightable authorship to warrant registration, the specialist will refuse to register the claim.
Examples:
618.8(A)(4) Author, Artist, Writer, Songwriter, Editor, and Other Professional Designations
As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) to describe the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register.
A term that merely describes the author or the author’s profession should not be used in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
Example:
claim in “music, lyrics.” The registration specialist will register the claim.
If an applicant uses the term author, writer, songwriter, or the like in an application to register a literary work or a work of the performing arts, the registration specialist may register the claim if it is clear that the applicant is asserting a claim in text and/or lyrics. If the deposit copy(ies) contain another form of authorship, and if it is clear that the author(s) listed in the application created all of the copyrightable content that appears in the work, the specialist may add an annotation to clarify the content of the deposit.
Examples:
618.8(A)(5) Story, Story Idea, Story Concept, Story Line
As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) to describe the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register.
The applicant should not use the terms “story,” “story idea,” “story concept,” “story line,” or the like in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because these terms do not clearly describe copyrightable authorship.
Example:
If an applicant uses the term “story” in the application, the registration specialist may register the claim if he or she determines that the applicant is referring to the text that appears in the work (rather than the idea for the story).
Example:
If an applicant asserts a claim in a “story idea,” “story concept,” “storyline,” or the like, and if it is clear from the information provided in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials that the author contributed copyrightable authorship to the work, the registration specialist may register the claim. In addition, the specialist may add an annotation to the record stating that ideas are not copyrightable.
Examples:
If the applicant uses the term “story,” “story idea,” “story concept,” “storyline,” or the like in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, and if this is the author’s sole contribution to the work, the specialist will communicate with the applicant if the author’s contribution appears to be uncopyrightable or de minimis.
Examples:
contributed the idea or concept for the story. Charles's contribution is uncopyrightable and therefore should not be claimed in the application. The registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant.
As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) to describe the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register.
The applicant should not use the term "conceived" or "conception" in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because they suggest that the applicant may be asserting a claim in an idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery.
Example:
If an applicant uses the term "conceived," "conception," or the like to describe copyrightable authorship, the registration specialist may register the claim if it is clear that the term is being used as a synonym for "created" or "creation." By contrast, the specialist may communicate with the applicant or may register the claim with an annotation if the applicant appears to be asserting a claim in uncopyrightable subject matter.
Examples:
application clearly indicate that Molly and Sally contributed copyrightable text and artwork to this website. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Concepts not copyrightable. 17 USC 102(b).”
As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) to describe the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register.
The applicant should not use the term “plot” in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because it suggests that the applicant may be asserting a claim in the plan, scheme, or main idea for the work (which is not copyrightable), rather than the text, dialog, or other copyrightable expression that appears in the work.
If the applicant uses the term “plot” together with another form of copyrightable authorship in the Author Created field or Nature of Authorship space, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant. In this situation, the specialist will add an annotation to the record stating that ideas are not copyrightable.
If the applicant states that “plot” is the author’s sole contribution to the work, the specialist may register the claim if it is clear from the deposit copy(ies) that the author contributed copyrightable authorship to the work. In this situation, the specialist will add an annotation stating that ideas are not copyrightable and describing the copyrightable material that appears in the work.
Examples:
If the applicant names two or more authors in the application, and if the applicant asserts a claim in “plot,” the specialist generally will ask for permission to remove that term from the application if it appears that one of the authors contributed only ideas to the work. If there appears to be no other basis for a valid copyright claim, the specialist will refuse registration.
Example:
Although the copyright law does not protect the name or the general idea for a character, a work that describes, depicts, or embodies a particular character may be registered if it contains a sufficient amount of copyrightable authorship. As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) to describe a work that describes, depicts, or embodies a particular character.
The applicant should not use the term “character(s)” in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because it suggests that the applicant is asserting a claim in the idea for a character, rather than the text, artwork, or other copyrightable expression that appears in the work.
Example:
If the applicant asserts a claim in a “character,” and if it is clear that the author contributed copyrightable authorship, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation.
Examples:
As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) to describe the authorship that the applicant intends to register.
The term “research” should not be used in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because it does not specify copyrightable authorship. It also suggests that the applicant may be asserting a claim in the facts that appear in the work or the effort involved in collecting that information, rather than the expression that the author used to communicate facts or information.
If the applicant asserts a claim in “research” together with another form of copyrightable authorship, such as “text,” the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation indicating that “research” is not copyrightable.
If the applicant mentions only “research” in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, the specialist may register the claim if it is clear from the deposit copy(ies) that the author contributed copyrightable authorship to the work. In this situation, the specialist will add an annotation stating that research is not copyrightable and identifying the copyrightable material that appears in the work.
If the applicant uses the term “research” in the application, and if the applicant appears to be asserting a claim in the facts that appear in the work or the effort involved in collecting those facts, the specialist (i) may communicate with the applicant, (ii) may add an annotation stating that “research” (i.e., the underlying facts, concepts, and ideas) is not copyrightable and identifying the copyrightable material that appears in the work, or (iii) may refuse to register the claim.
Research itself not copyrightable. Compendium 707.2. Registration extends to text deposited.”
As a general rule, the terms “music” and/or “lyrics” should be used to describe the authorship in a musical work, and the term “sound recording,” should be used to describe the authorship in a sound recording. The applicant should avoid using the following terms in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, because they are unclear:
For a discussion of U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures regarding these terms, see Chapter 800, Sections 802.9(E), 803.9(D), and 803.9(F)(3).
As a general rule, the applicant should use one or more of the terms set forth in Section 618.4(C) in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
The applicant should not use the term “entire work,” because it does not identify the specific form of authorship that the applicant intends to register. Instead, it suggests that the applicant may be asserting a claim in both the copyrightable and uncopyrightable elements of the work. It also suggests that the applicant may be asserting a claim in any previously published material, previously registered material, public domain material, or third party material that may be present in the work.
Example:
If the applicant uses the term “entire work” or other unspecific description that is not listed in Sections 618.8(A)(1) through 618.8(A)(10), the registration specialist may ask the applicant to provide a more specific authorship statement. If the extent of the claim is clear from the deposit copy(ies) or the information provided elsewhere in the registration materials, the specialist may register the claim. In this situation, the specialist may add an annotation that describes the copyrightable content of the work or any relevant statements or information that appear in the deposit copy(ies).
Examples: Entire work
copy reads “A play by Oliver Spencer.” The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Copy states ‘A play by Oliver Spencer.’”
Examples: Other unspecific authorship statements
618.8(B) Percentage of Authorship
The U.S. Copyright Office strongly discourages applicants from using numerical percentages to describe an author’s contribution to a work, such as “music by Joe Goldie (50%); lyrics by Pepe Greenwald: (50%).” As discussed in Section 619, a copyright may be registered by or on behalf of the author of the work or a person or entity that owns all rights under the copyright that initially belonged to the author. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(a)(3). Providing percentages in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space may imply that the work is a joint work or it may raise a question as to whether the person or persons named in the application contributed copyrightable authorship to the work or whether the claimant owns all of the exclusive rights in the work.
If the applicant provides a percentage in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant if it is clear that the authors named in the application contributed copyrightable authorship to the work and if the work appears to be jointly owned. The percentage is considered superfluous in this situation, because it presumably refers to some allocation among the co-authors or co-owners of the copyright, rather than an allocation of the ownership in the copyright as a whole.
The material described in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space must be copyrightable. If the applicant asserts a claim in uncopyrightable material, the U.S. Copyright Office may ask for permission to remove that claim from the application, or in appropriate cases, may add an annotation to clarify that the registration does not cover that element. If the claim appears to be limited to the uncopyrightable material or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work, the Office will refuse registration.
For a general discussion of copyrightable and uncopyrightable authorship, see Chapter 300 (Copyrightable Authorship: What Can Be Registered).
If the deposit copy(ies) contain copyrightable authorship as well as uncopyrightable material, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, provided that the applicant does not claim the uncopyrightable material in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
If the applicant asserts a claim in copyrightable material as well as material that is uncopyrightable under the Copyright Act, Section 202.1 of the regulations, or this Compendium, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. In the alternative, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation indicating that the registration does not cover the uncopyrightable material. The annotation is intended to put the applicant, the claimant, the courts, and the general public on notice concerning the extent of the claim to copyright.
Examples:
618.8(C)(3) Claim in Uncopyrightable Material: Deposit Copy(ies) Contain Copyrightable Authorship
If the deposit copy(ies) contain copyrightable material, and if the applicant asserts a claim in material that is uncopyrightable, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation indicating that the registration does not cover that material. Alternatively, the specialist may communicate with the applicant, which will delay the examination of the claim.
Examples:
Claim in uncopyrightable material under Section 102(b). Amanda Reeves submits for registration a DVD depicting a doctor performing surgery with a voice-over commentary. On the application, she describes the nature of authorship as “new process for suturing.” The only credit on the footage reads “written, filmed and narrated by Dr. Amanda Reeves.” Because the statement indicates that Amanda was the major author of the motion picture, the registration specialist may ask the applicant for permission to remove the reference to the suturing process and replace it with a more appropriate authorship statement. Alternatively, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Process not copyrightable. 17 USC 102(b). Copy states ‘written, filmed, and narrated by Dr. Amanda Reeves.’”
Claim in uncopyrightable material under 37 C.F.R. § 202.1. An application is submitted for an album titled The Hottest Hits from Tabasco & Tamale. The application states that Chuck Tabasco created the “sound recording” and Janet Tamale created the “name of performing group.” A statement on the deposit copy reads, “C. Tabasco: production; J. Tamale: vocals,” which indicates that Chuck and Janet contributed copyrightable authorship to this work. The registration specialist may ask the applicant for permission to remove the claim in the name of the performing group. Alternatively, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Name of performing group not copyrightable. 37 CFR 202.1. Copy states ‘C. Tabasco: production; J. Tamale: vocals.’”
If the applicant uses a term in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space that normally would be used to describe copyrightable authorship, such as “text” or “artwork,” and if it appears that the applicant is using that term to describe material that is uncopyrightable under the Copyright Act, Section 202.1 of the regulations, or this Compendium, the specialist may communicate with the applicant or may register the claim with an annotation indicating that the registration does not cover the uncopyrightable material.
Examples:
Claim in uncopyrightable material under 37 C.F.R. § 202.1. An application is submitted for an album. The applicant asserts a claim in “music and text.” The only text that appears in the deposit copy is the title of each track and a list of credits. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Liner notes consisting of a listing of titles and/or credits not copyrightable. 37 CFR 202.1.”
Claim in uncopyrightable material under 37 C.F.R. § 202.1. An application is submitted for a website. The applicant asserts a claim in “2-D artwork and text.” The deposit copy contains copyrightable artwork, but the only text is a calendar and a football season schedule. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Text is calendar and schedule of sporting events; not copyrightable. 37 CFR 202.1.”
If two or more authors are named in the application, and if it appears that one or more of the authors did not contribute copyrightable authorship to the work, the specialist will ask for permission to remove that author’s name from the registration record.
Examples:
Claim in uncopyrightable material under 37 C.F.R. § 202.1. An application for a board game is submitted naming Mark Zwisler as the author of “2-D artwork” and Abacus LLC as the author of “text.” The only text that appears in the work is a scorecard for recording information. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant and explain that blank forms are not copyrightable. Therefore, the specialist will ask for permission to remove all of the company’s information and the term “text” from the registration record.
Claim in uncopyrightable material under the Compendium. An application is submitted for a medical textbook, naming, Dr. Arvind Desai as the author of “text” and MRI Associates as the author of “photographs.” The photographs in the work are medical x-rays. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant and explain that x-rays generally are not copyrightable. Therefore, the registration specialist will ask for permission to remove all of the company’s information and the term “photographs” from the registration record.
If the applicant asserts a claim in material that is uncopyrightable under the Copyright Act, Section 202.1, or this Compendium, the registration specialist will refuse registration if the claim appears to be limited to that material or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work.
Examples:
The material described in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space must be copyrightable. If the author's contribution to the work is de minimis, the U.S. Copyright Office may ask the applicant for permission to remove that claim from the application, or in appropriate cases, may add an annotation to clarify that the registration does not cover that element. If the claim appears to be limited to the de minimis material or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work, the Office will refuse registration.
If the deposit copy(ies) contain copyrightable material as well as de minimis material, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, provided that the applicant does not claim the de minimis material in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
Example:
If the applicant asserts a claim in copyrightable authorship as well as de minimis material, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation identifying the copyrightable material that has been submitted for registration.
Examples:
standard chord symbols. Standard chord symbols not registrable. Compendium 802.5(A)."
If two or more authors are named in the application, and if it appears that one of the authors contributed de minimis authorship to the work, the registration specialist will ask for permission to remove that author's information from the registration record.
Example:
If the applicant asserts a claim in de minimis material, the registration specialist will refuse registration if the claim appears to be limited to that material or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work.
Example:
For a general discussion of de minimis authorship, see Chapter 300, Section 313.4(B).
As a general rule, the information provided in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space should be consistent with the information that appears in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. In some cases, the registration specialist may give greater weight to the information that appears in the application, if that information does not raise additional questions concerning the identity of the authors or the ownership of the copyright in the deposit copy(ies).
Example:
The specialist may communicate with the applicant if there is a material variance between the information provided in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space and the statements that appear on the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
Examples:
As discussed in Sections 618.4(A) and 618.4(B), the applicant should only assert a claim in the authorship that will be submitted for registration. The applicant should not assert a claim in material that will not be submitted for registration or material that does not appear in the work.
Example:
If the applicant asserts a claim in material that does not appear in the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation identifying the material that appears in the deposit.
Examples:
If the deposit copy appears to be incomplete, the specialist may communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
618.8(G) Copyrightable Material in the Deposit Copy(ies) That Has Not Been Claimed in the Application
As discussed in Sections 618.4(A) and 618.4(B), the applicant should identify all of the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
Example:
In the case of a collective work or a derivative work the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant if the deposit copy(ies) contain a substantial amount of copyrightable material that is not mentioned in the application and if the author of that material is not specified in the deposit copy(ies). In this situation, the specialist will conclude that the applicant only intends to register the authorship that is specifically claimed in the application.
If the work was created by a single author, and if there is a specific statement on the deposit copy(ies) indicating that the author created all of the copyrightable material that appears in the work, the specialist may communicate with the applicant or may add an annotation to the registration record if the copy(ies) contain a substantial amount of copyrightable material that has not been claimed in the application.
Example:
If the applicant fails to complete the Nature of Authorship space in a paper application, the registration specialist may register the claim if the applicant completed spaces 6(a) and 6(b), provided that those spaces clearly identify the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register and provided that the author named in the application appears to be the author of that material. In this situation, the claim to copyright is defined by the information provided in space 6(b) of the application.
If the applicant fails to complete the Nature of Authorship space on Form PA or Form VA, the specialist may register the claim if the applicant provided a statement that adequately describes the work being registered in the Nature of This Work space, and if the author named in the application appears to be the sole author of that material. In this situation, the specialist will add that statement to the Nature of Authorship space and add an annotation to the record, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Information added by Copyright Office from application.”
In all other cases, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to request an appropriate authorship statement.
Examples:
An application is submitted on Form VA for a book of photographs. The Nature of Authorship space is blank. In space 6(a) the applicant lists the photographs that appear on pages 1, 5, 8, and 9. In space 6(b) the applicant lists the photographs that appear on pages 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 10. The registration specialist will register the claim because the applicant clearly intends to register the photographs listed in space 6(b).
An application is submitted on Form PA for a song written by one individual. The Nature of Authorship space is blank, but the applicant described the Nature of This Work as “music and lyrics.” The registration specialist will add this statement to the record and register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Information added by Copyright Office from application.”
This Section discusses the Nature of This Work space, which appears only in space 1 of Forms VA and PA. This space does not appear in the online application or other paper applications.
The U.S. Copyright Office added this space to Forms PA and VA, because these applications may be used to register different categories of works. The Nature of This Work space should be used to describe the physical nature of the deposit copy(ies) (e.g., cartoon, model, globe, chart, puppet, hologram, etc.). It should not be used to describe the type of authorship that the author created. See Registration of Claims to Copyright, 65 Fed. Reg. 41,508, 41,508 (July 5, 2000). However, if the applicant failed to complete the Nature of Authorship space, and if the statement provided in the Nature of This Work space adequately describes the work being registered, the registration specialist may add that statement to space 2 of the application. For information concerning this procedure, see Section 618.8(H).
This Section discusses the practices and procedures for identifying the copyright claimant for a work being registered with the Standard Application or a paper application.
To identify the claimant for a work being registered with the Single Application, or an application for a group registration, a renewal registration, or a GATT registration, see the following chapters:
For group registrations and the unit of publication option, see Chapter 1100, Sections 1103.4(G), 1106.1(E), 1107.7(F), 1108.7(G), 1109.7(B), 1110.7(E), 1111.7(J), 1112.8(E), and 1114.6(K).
For renewal registrations, see Chapter 2100, Section 2115.2(E).
An application for registration must identify the name and address of the copyright claimant. 17 U.S.C. § 409(1). For purposes of copyright registration, the “claimant” is either the author of the work that has been submitted for registration, or a person or organization that owns all the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author of that work. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(a)(3).
A person or entity that owns one or more — but less than all — of the exclusive rights in a work is not eligible to claim ownership of the entire copyright in the records maintained by the U.S. Copyright Office. The Office will not knowingly allow a party that owns less than all the exclusive rights in a work to register the copyright in his or her own name, because this would create a misleading and inaccurate public record and it would subvert the purpose of the registration system. Registration of Claims to Copyright, 43 Fed. Reg. 965, 965 (Jan. 5, 1978).
The claimant named in an application must be a human being or a legal entity that is capable of owning property. As a general rule, the registration specialist will conclude that a legal entity is capable of owning property if that entity has been named as the copyright claimant, unless there is evidence to the contrary in the registration materials.
An application naming the author as the copyright claimant may be filed at any time before the copyright expires.
An individual or entity that owns all of the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author may be named as the copyright claimant at any time during the life of the copyright, provided that the party owns all of the rights, whether by transfer, bequeath, or operation of law, as of the date that the application is received in the Office. If the copyright is owned jointly by two or more parties, all of the owners must be listed in the application.
Ownership of the copyright in a work of authorship is distinct from ownership of the material object in which the work has been fixed. Ownership of a copy or phonorecord does not convey any rights in the copyright, nor does the transfer of ownership of the copyright convey property rights in any material object in which the work has been fixed (absent an agreement to that effect). 17 U.S.C. § 202.
As discussed above, the author of the work or a person or entity that owns all of the rights in the copyright that initially belonged to the author are the only parties entitled to be named as a copyright claimant. However, an application to register a copyright claim may be filed by other parties. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(a)(3), (c)(1).
The applicant is the party who certifies the application and submits it to the U.S. Copyright Office. An application to register a copyright may be certified and submitted by any of the following parties:
No other parties are entitled to file an application for copyright registration. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(1).
When completing an application, the applicant will be asked to provide the name, address, and other contact information for the person or persons who should be contacted if the registration specialist has questions or concerns regarding the application. This person is known as the correspondent. In most cases, the correspondent and the applicant are the same person, because the correspondent typically certifies and submits the application. In all cases, the correspondent must be one of the following parties:
If the author owns all the rights under the copyright as of the date that the application is filed, the author must be named in the application as the copyright claimant. An application to register the copyright in the author's name may be certified and submitted by the author or by the author's duly authorized agent. In this situation, the author is considered the claimant and the author or the author's agent is considered the applicant (dependent upon who certified and submitted the application.)
The author may always be named as the copyright claimant, even if the author has transferred the copyright or one or more of the exclusive rights to another party, or even if the author does not own any of the rights under copyright when the application is filed. This is due to the fact that the author always retains a legal or equitable interest in the copyright, even if the copyright has been licensed or assigned to a third party. See generally Registration of Copyright: Definition of Claimant, 77 Fed. Reg. 29,257, 29,258 (May 17, 2012); Applications for Registration of Claim to Copyright Under Revised Copyright Act, 42 Fed. Reg. 48,944, 48,945 (Sept. 26, 1977).
If the author transferred rights to another party, an application to register the copyright in the author's name may be certified and submitted by any of the following parties:
In this situation, the author is considered the claimant, and the party who certified and submitted the application is considered the applicant.
If a person or organization owns all the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author, that party may be named in the application as the copyright claimant. An application to register the copyright in that party's name may be certified and submitted by the author, the transferee, or their respective agents. In this situation, the transferee is considered the claimant, and the author, the transferee, or their respective agents are considered the applicant (depending on who certified and submitted the application).
A party that owns one or more — but less than all — of the rights that initially belonged to the author cannot register the copyright in that party's own name (i.e., naming itself as the claimant). However, that party may certify and submit an application to register the copyright in the author's name. In this situation, the author is considered the claimant, and the party that owns one or more of the exclusive rights is considered the applicant. See Registration of Copyright: Definition of Claimant, 77 Fed. Reg. at 29,258. Although that party cannot be named as the copyright claimant, it may identify itself in the public record by recording the transfer or other document pertaining to copyright that transferred the exclusive rights from the author or the author's successor(s) in interest to that party. Id. at n.1.
A nonexclusive licensee is not entitled to register a copyright in the licensee's own name, because by definition, a nonexclusive licensee does not own the entire copyright in the work.
As a general rule, a nonexclusive licensee is not entitled to file a copyright application, because a nonexclusive licensee is neither the "copyright owner or [an owner] of any exclusive right in the work." 17 U.S.C. § 408(a) (specifying the parties who "may obtain registration of the copyright claim"). A nonexclusive licensee may sign or submit an application to register the copyright only if the licensee is a duly authorized agent acting on behalf of the author or a person or entity that owns all the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author.
A registration that has been issued to an author of a work or a person or entity that owns all the rights that initially belonged to the author secures the statutory benefits of registration to any other author or any other person or entity that owns one or more of the exclusive rights in that work. Consequently, the U.S. Copyright Office will not knowingly issue more than one basic registration for the same work. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(11); Applications for Registration of Claim to Copyright under Revised Copyright Act, 42 Fed. Reg. at 48,945. However, there are three exceptions to this rule:
For a general discussion of these exceptions, see Chapter 500, Sections 510.1 through 510.3.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide the claimant's name and address on the Claimants screen.
If the claimant is an individual, the applicant should provide the claimant's first and last name in the fields that appear under the heading Individual Claimant. If the claimant is a legal entity, the applicant should provide the entity’s name in the field marked Organization Name. The claimant’s address should be provided in the fields marked Address 1, Address 2, City, State, Postal Code, Country. If the copyright is co-owned by two or more parties, the applicant should click “save,” and then repeat this process to add the names of each additional claimant.
When completing a paper application on Forms TX, VA, PA, SR, or SE, the applicant should provide the claimant’s name and address in space 4 of the application in the space marked Copyright Claimant(s). If the copyright is co-owned by two or more parties, the applicant should provide the names and addresses of each claimant on space 4. If additional space is needed, the applicant may provide the name and address of each claimant on a continuation sheet submitted on Form CON.
Applicants should provide the claimant’s full legal name. Providing a full legal name creates a clear record concerning the ownership of the copyright, and it limits the potential for confusion among claimants with similar names.
The applicant may provide the claimant’s home address, business address, or any other address where the claimant maintains a fixed and permanent residence or place of business. If the applicant prefers not to provide this information (for instance if the claimant does not want a home address or phone number to appear in the registration record), the applicant may provide a post office box number where the claimant receives correspondence or an address for a third party agent who is authorized to receive correspondence on the claimant’s behalf. However, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the applicant merely provides an email address or an online address rather than a physical address.
The name and address that the applicant provides on the application will appear on the certificate of registration, which will be made available to the public upon request. Likewise, the claimant’s name and address will appear in the online public record for the work, which can be accessed by anyone who performs a search for the work on the U.S. Copyright Office’s website.
Once a certificate of registration has been issued, the Office cannot remove the claimant’s name from the registration record or replace it with a pseudonym. The author, claimant, or their respective representatives may submit a written request to the Office to substitute the claimant’s current legal name for the name shown in the online public record (but not the offline public record). To do so, the requesting party must submit an affidavit together with a court order granting the legal name change, and must pay the appropriate fee for this service. For more information on this procedure, see Chapter 1800, Section 1805.
For a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
If the applicant provides a nickname or an abbreviated version of the claimant's full name, the registration specialist may register the claim provided that the identity of the claimant is clear. If the claimant's full name appears in the Name of Author field/space, on the deposit copy(ies), or elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist may add that information to the registration record with an annotation, such as: "Regarding copyright claimant: Claimant's full name added by Copyright Office from [Name of Author field, deposit copy, Note to Copyright Office, etc.]." The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the application merely provides the claimant's given name or surname.
Examples:
An application may be accepted if the applicant provides initials in lieu of the claimant's full name, provided that the claimant is known to the public by those initials or provided that the claimant's full name is clearly given elsewhere in the registration materials. If it is unclear whether the initials identify the claimant, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. If the claimant's full name appears elsewhere in the registration materials, the specialist may add that information to the application with an annotation, such as: "Regarding copyright claimant: Claimant's full name added by Copyright Office from copy."
Examples:
619.13(C) Identifying the Author of a Pseudonymous Work as the Copyright Claimant
If the author’s pseudonym appears on the copies or phonorecords of the work, then as mentioned above, the applicant is not required to provide his or her real name in the application. Instead, the applicant may provide the author’s pseudonym in the field marked Pseudonym, and may leave the Name of the Author field/space blank.
If the author and the copyright claimant are the same individual, the applicant may provide the author’s legal name in the Name of Claimant field/space. Alternatively, the applicant may provide the author’s legal name together with the author’s pseudonym in the Name of Claimant field/space, provided that the application clearly indicates which is the legal name and which is the pseudonym (e.g., “Samuel Clemens, whose pseudonym is Mark Twain”). Providing the claimant’s full legal name creates a clear record of ownership, and as discussed in Section 615.2(B), it may extend or reduce the term of the copyright. See 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).
If the author does not wish to provide his or her legal name anywhere in the application, the applicant may provide the author’s pseudonym in the Name of Claimant field/space, provided that the author checks the Pseudonymous box on the application and provided that the work meets the statutory definition of a pseudonymous work.
The statute states that the application shall include “the name . . . of the copyright claimant.” 17 U.S.C. §§ 409(1), (3). But Congress also intended to give authors the ability to register their works under an assumed name. Allowing applicants to provide a fictitious name in the author field, while requiring them to disclose the author’s real name in the claimant field, would undermine that objective and discourage pseudonymous authors from registering their works with the Office.
For a detailed discussion of pseudonymous works, see Section 615.2.
If the author's name does not appear on the copies or phonorecords of the work, then as mentioned above, the applicant is not required to provide the author's name in the application. Instead, the applicant may leave the Name of the Author field/space blank and check the box marked "Anonymous."
If the author and the copyright claimant are the same individual, the applicant may provide the author's legal name in the Name of Claimant field/space. However, doing so creates a clear record of ownership, and as discussed in Section 615.1(B), it may extend or reduce the term of the copyright. See 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).
If the author does not wish to provide his or her real name in the application, the applicant may state "anonymous" in the Name of Claimant field/space, provided that the author checks the Anonymous box on the application and provided that the work meets the statutory definition for an anonymous work.
Although the statute states that the application shall include "the name . . . of the copyright claimant," Congress clearly intended to give authors the ability to register their works anonymously. 17 U.S.C. §§ 409(1), (3). Allowing applicants to state "anonymous" in the author field, while requiring them to disclose the author's real name in the claimant field, would undermine that objective and discourage anonymous authors from registering their works with the Office.
For a detailed discussion of anonymous works, see Section 615.1.
If the copyright is owned by two or more co-claimants, the applicant should provide the name and address for each claimant.
When completing an online application, the applicant should enter the name of one claimant in the appropriate fields, click “save,” and then repeat this process for the other claimant(s).
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide the name of each claimant on space 4 of the application. If additional space is needed, the applicant may use a continuation sheet submitted on Form CON. The name of each claimant should be separated from each other with the word “and” or by listing each name on a separate line.
If the applicant provides more than one name in the Name of Claimant field/space, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the identity or number of the claimants or co-claimants is unclear.
As a general rule, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the Name of Claimant field/space states that one party is asserting a copyright claim on behalf of another party.
If the copyright is owned by two or more claimants, the applicant should use “and” between the claimants’ names in a paper application, rather than “or” and rather than “and/or.” The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if two or more names are provided in the Name of Claimant space together with the conjunction “or” (e.g., “John Smith or Jane Doe”) or “and/or” (e.g., “John Smith and/or Jane Doe”).
Miriam, Inc.” as co-claimants. The registration specialist will register the claim.
In the alternative, the name of each claimant may be separated by a comma, semicolon, or slash (e.g., “John Smith, Jane Doe,” “John Smith; Smith Publishing,” “John Doe / Jane Smith”). The U.S. Copyright Office discourages applicants from using hyphens, dashes, parentheses, or other forms of punctuation in space 4 of the paper application (e.g., “John Smith (Smith Publishing),” “John Smith—Jane Doe”).
As a general rule, the registration specialist may register a claim if each name appears to be complete, and it is clear that each name refers to a separate individual or legal entity, or if each name clearly refers to an author who is named in the application or elsewhere in the registration materials. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if it is unclear whether each name refers to a separate claimant.
Examples:
619.13(E)(3) Individual Name Listed Above or Below the Name of a Legal Entity in a Paper Application
If the name of an individual appears above the name of an organization in a paper application and if there are no other ambiguities in the registration materials, the registration specialist will conclude that the individual is the copyright claimant and that the name of the organization is part of the claimant’s address, regardless of whether the address contains the terms “c/o,” “in care of,” “attention,” or the like.
If the name of an unincorporated organization appears above the name of an individual in a paper application and if there are no other ambiguities, the specialist will conclude that the organization is the claimant, regardless of whether the organization appears to be a sole proprietorship or whether the individual appears to be doing business under the name of that organization. Likewise, if the name of an incorporated organization appears above the name of an individual in a paper application and if there are no other ambiguities, the specialist will conclude that the organization is the claimant and that the name of the individual is simply part of the claimant’s mailing address.
Joan Donnelly
Hoosier Designs
456 Enterprise Avenue
Gary, Indiana 46401
The registration specialist will register the claim without communicating with the applicant, because it appears that Joan is the sole copyright claimant and the name of the company is part of her address.
Cross Music Publishing
c/o Nancy Cross
234 Elm Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60018
The transfer statement indicates that the claimant obtained the copyright in this work “by written agreement.” The registration specialist will register the claim, because it appears that the Cross Music Publishing is the sole copyright claimant and that the individual’s name is part of the company’s mailing address.
Alexis Consulting, Inc.
Robin Alexis
1001 Main Street
Parole, MD 21401
The registration specialist will register the claim, because it appears that Alexis Consulting, Inc. is the sole copyright claimant and that the individual's name is part of the company's mailing address.
619.13(F) Group of Individuals Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space
Applicants should provide the name(s) of the specific individual(s) or organization(s) that own the copyright in the work, even if the copyright is owned by a group of individuals.
Example:
If the applicant names a group of individuals in the Name of Claimant fields/spaces (e.g., "The 2014 Graduating Class of Summer Glen Elementary School"), the applicant also should provide the name of each individual in the group.
The registration specialist may register a claim without communicating with the applicant if the criteria for membership in the group are clearly defined, if the members of that group were clearly established as of the date that the application, deposit, and filing fee were received, and if the applicant provides the names of representative individuals in the application. If the membership of the group is vague or ambiguous, or if the applicant fails to provide the names of any individuals, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
the applicant because “family” is an ambiguous term and the members of this group are not clearly defined.
If an individual and an unincorporated business organization are named together in the Name of Claimant field/space, the application may be accepted if it seems likely that the organization is merely a trade name or other assumed name for the individual. As a general rule, the registration specialist will conclude that an individual and an unincorporated organization are the same legal entity if the applicant clearly states that the individual is “trading as,” “doing business as,” or “also known as” the organization or that the unincorporated organization is “solely owned by” the individual.
Likewise, the specialist will conclude that an individual and an unincorporated organization are the same legal entity if there is a clear relationship between the name of the individual and the name of the organization (e.g., John Smith/Smith Publishing Company).
The specialist will communicate with the applicant if the individual and the organization appear to be separate legal entities, if the organization appears to be a corporation, or if the relationship between the individual and the organization is unclear.
claimant. No transfer statement has been provided. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant, because it is unclear whether George and Bentley Sound are the same legal entity.
If an individual and an incorporated organization are named together in the Name of Claimant field/space, and if a transfer statement is not provided or is unclear, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine whether the individual or the organization is the copyright claimant.
Examples of corporate designations and abbreviations that may trigger this inquiry include:
Examples:
619.13(I) Partnership Named as Claimant
Typically, a partnership is an unincorporated business that is owned by two or more individuals. A partnership necessarily requires a written agreement stipulating that the partners are co-owners of any property held by the partnership, and works created by one of the partners are often considered the property of the partnership as a whole. Therefore, if an application names a partnership as the claimant without providing a transfer statement explaining how the partnership obtained ownership of the copyright, the application may be accepted if it is clear that at least one of the authors is a member of that partnership.
Example:
619.13(J) Trust or Estate Named as Claimant
The Office will accept an application that names a trust or estate as the copyright claimant if that entity is a legal or beneficial owner of the copyright.
If an individual and a trust or estate are named together in the Name of Claimant field/space, the application may be accepted if it seems likely that the individual is a beneficiary or duly authorized agent of the trust or estate. For example, the registration specialist will accept an application that identifies an individual with one or more of the following terms:
If the applicant fails to provide a transfer statement explaining how the trust or estate obtained ownership of the copyright, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant unless there is a clear relationship between the name of the author and the claimant.
Examples:
because it is unclear whether the trust still exists or whether it terminated upon the author’s death.
As a general rule, the individual or legal entity that is identified in the application as the copyright claimant should be consistent with the ownership information that appears on the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. Ordinarily, the registration specialist will give greater weight to the information that appears in the Name of Claimant field/space. If appropriate, the specialist may add an annotation to the registration record to clarify the claimant’s name or to add information that appears on the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials. The specialist may communicate with the applicant if the variance between the name provided in the Name of Claimant field/space is inconsistent with the ownership statements that appear on the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
As a general rule, the registration specialist will not communicate with the applicant if the name provided in the Name of Claimant field/space does not match the name provided in a copyright notice, if any. (A proper copyright notice was required for works published in the United States before March 1, 1989, but this requirement does not apply to unpublished works, foreign works, or works published in the United States after that date.) However, the specialist may communicate, if the variance suggests that the individual or entity named in the application is not the correct copyright claimant.
following copyright notice: “© 2003 Market Music Company.” The registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, because the name that appears in the notice could be an alternative name for the copyright claimant, such as a “doing business as” designation.
To register a work of authorship, the applicant should identify the work that will be submitted for registration and the applicant should assert a claim to copyright in that material. As discussed in Sections 618 and 621, this information should be provided in the Author Created field, and if applicable, in the New Material Included field in the online application, or in space 2, and if applicable, in space 6(b) of the paper application. The Office strongly discourages applicants from providing this type of information in the Name of Claimant field/space or in the Transfer field/space. Statements such as “John Smith: wrote words; Jane Doe: wrote music” or “John Smith — owner of words; Jane Doe — owner of words” may raise a question as to whether the claimant is an owner or co-owner of the copyright in the entire work or whether the claimant merely owns the copyright in a specific element of a collective work or derivative work.
The U.S. Copyright Office strongly discourages applicants from providing percentages in the Name of Claimant field/space (e.g., John Smith 50%; Jane Doe — one half share, etc.) because this may raise a question as to whether the claimant owns the entire copyright in the work.
The U.S. Copyright Office will accept an application stating that the claimant owns all the exclusive rights in the work for a limited term or a limited period of time, if it is clear that the claimant owned the rights as of the date that the Office received the application, deposit, and filing fee. If it appears that the claimant did not own all the rights when the claim was received or if the claim was filed after the period of ownership expired, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
An individual or legal entity that owns a future interest in the copyright cannot be named as a copyright claimant. Likewise, an individual or legal entity who may obtain all of the rights under the copyright based upon a future contingency cannot be named as a copyright claimant. In the following examples, the registration specialist would accept an application that names “John Doe” or “John Doe Company” as the copyright claimant, but would ask for permission to remove the name of the party with only a future interest from the Name of Claimant field/space.
Examples:
As a general rule, the claimant named in the application must be an individual or legal entity capable of owning the copyright in the work.
If the author is the only party who is eligible to be named as the copyright claimant, and if the author is deceased or a defunct organization, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept an application that names the author as the copyright claimant. Likewise, the Office will accept an application that names a claimant who owns all of the rights that initially belonged to a deceased author, such as the author’s estate, devisee, or heir. See Group Registration of Contributions to Periodicals, 81 Fed. Reg. 86,634, 86,641-42 (Dec. 1, 2016).
The claimant’s name and address should be clearly identified in the Name of Claimant field/space. If the claimant can be identified only by referring to documents or records that have not been submitted with the registration materials, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the applicant states that the claimant is “unknown” or otherwise fails to identify the claimant by name, and instead enters a number, symbol, or descriptive statement in the Name of Claimant field/space, such as “publishing designee” or “copyright control.” If the applicant is unable to identify the individual or legal entity that owns all of the rights under the copyright, the applicant should provide the author’s name in the Name of Claimant field/space, because as discussed in Section 619.7, the author may always be named as the copyright claimant even if the author has transferred the copyright to another party.
If the applicant fails to provide the claimant’s name and address in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
If the applicant fails to provide the claimant’s name in a paper application, the registration specialist may add the author’s name to the claimant space and register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding claimant information: No name given on application. Claim registered in author’s name(s) as claimant(s). 37 CFR 202.3(a)(3)(i).”
If the applicant fails to provide the claimant’s address, and if the same individual or entity is named in the Claimant, Correspondent, and/or Mail Certificate spaces, the specialist may add the address provided in those spaces and register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding claimant information: Address added by Copyright Office from application.”
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for providing a transfer statement for works created and/or first published on or after January 1, 1978.
A transfer statement is not required for works first published before January 1, 1978. For a detailed discussion of such works, see Chapter 2100 (Renewal Registration).
The Copyright Act states that a transfer of ownership “is an assignment, mortgage, exclusive license, or any other conveyance, alienation, or hypothecation of a copyright or of any of the exclusive rights comprised in a copyright, whether or not it is limited in time or place of effect.” 17 U.S.C. § 101 (definition of “transfer of copyright ownership”). It also states that a nonexclusive license is not a transfer of ownership. Id.
The copyright in a work initially belongs to the author or authors of that work. 17 U.S.C. § 201(a). Section 201(d) of the Copyright Act explains that “[t]he ownership of a copyright may be transferred in whole or in part by any means of conveyance or by operation of law, and may be bequeathed by will or pass as personal property by the applicable laws of intestate succession.” As a general rule, a transfer of copyright ownership must be made in writing, and it must be signed by the copyright owner conveying the copyright. Section 204(a) of the Copyright Act states that “a transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument or conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or such owner’s duly authorized agent.”
A transfer statement is a brief statement in the application that explains “how the claimant obtained ownership of the copyright.” 17 U.S.C. § 409(5).
A transfer statement is distinct from a legal instrument, conveyance, or other document that transfers the copyright from one party to another. A transfer statement does not convey any rights in the copyright; it is merely a statement in the application affirming that the claimant has obtained all of the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author and specifying the means by which the claimant obtained those rights.
Generally, a transfer statement is required if the individual or organization named as claimant or co-claimant in the Name of Claimant field/space is not an author of the work. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which are discussed in Sections 620.10(D)(1) through 620.10(D)(2).
If the work was created by a single author, and if the author is named in the application as the sole copyright claimant, there is no need to provide a transfer statement.
If an individual or organization other than the author(s) is named as a claimant or co-claimant, the applicant should provide a brief statement that explains how that party obtained ownership of the copyright. Specifically, the applicant should explain how the claimant acquired all of the rights that initially belonged to the author of that work. 17 U.S.C. § 409(5).
Examples:
For instructions on how to provide a transfer statement in an online application or a paper application, see Section 620.9 below.
If the work submitted for registration is a joint work, then as discussed in Section 613.5, the applicant should provide the name of each author who contributed copyrightable authorship to that work. In addition, the applicant should provide the name of the person who owns or co-owns the copyright in that work.
If the applicant names all the joint authors as co-claimants, there is no need to provide a transfer statement.
Likewise, no transfer statement is required if all the joint authors are named as co-authors of the work, and if one or more – but less than all – of those joint authors are named as the claimant.
By contrast, if the applicant names a third party as the claimant for a joint work, the applicant should provide a transfer statement that explains how that party acquired the copyright in that work. If the claimant obtained the copyright from two or more joint authors using a different means for each transfer, the applicant should provide an appropriate transfer statement for each author.
For a general discussion of joint works, see Chapter 500, Section 505.
If the work was created by two or more authors but does not meet the statutory definition of a joint work, the applicant should provide a brief statement explaining how the claimant obtained ownership of the work that the applicant intends to register.
Example:
If an individual or organization other than the author(s) is named as a claimant or co-claimant for a derivative work or a compilation, the applicant should provide a transfer statement explaining how that party obtained ownership of the copyright. In the case of a derivative work, the applicant should explain how the claimant acquired all of the rights that initially belonged to the individual or organization that created the new or revised material that appears in the work. In the case of a compilation, the transfer statement should explain how the claimant acquired all of the rights that initially belonged to the individual or organization that selected, coordinated, and/or arranged the preexisting materials or data that appear in the compilation.
Examples:
is not provided. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to request an appropriate transfer statement.
A collective work and the separate and independent works that appear in the collective work may be registered with the same application, provided that the claimant owns the copyright in the individual contributions and the copyright in the collective work as a whole. If the claimant is not the author of the contributions or is not the author of the collective work as a whole, the applicant should provide a transfer statement explaining how the claimant obtained the copyright in that aspect of the work.
Examples:
This Section provides guidance on providing a transfer statement in an online application or a paper application.
If the claimant or co-claimant(s) is not the author of the work, the applicant should provide a brief statement that explains how each claimant obtained ownership of the copyright. (As discussed above, a transfer statement is not required if the claimant is the author of the work.)
The transfer statement should demonstrate that the copyright was transferred to the claimant by written agreement, by inheritance, or by operation of law. 17 U.S.C. § 201(d)(1). In addition, the statement should demonstrate that the claimant obtained all the rights under the copyright that initially belonged to the author.
When completing an online application the applicant should provide this information on the Claimants screen by selecting one of the options listed in the drop down menu marked Transfer Statement.
In the case of a literary work, a work of the visual arts, a work of the performing arts, a sound recording, or a motion picture/audiovisual work, the options include “By written agreement,” “By inheritance,” and “Other.” If the claimant obtained the copyright through an assignment, contract, or other written agreement, the applicant should select “By written agreement.” If the claimant obtained the copyright through a will, bequest, or other form of inheritance, the applicant should select “By inheritance.”
When completing an online application for a single serial issue, the options include:
If these options do not fully describe the transfer, the applicant may select “Other” from the drop down menu and provide a more specific transfer statement in the space marked Transfer Statement Other. Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in the Transfer Statement Other field is limited to 100 characters.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide a transfer statement on space 4 of the application under the heading Transfer. For examples of acceptable transfer statements, see Section 620.9(B) below.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept any of the transfer statements set forth in Sections 620.9(B)(1) through 620.9(B)(4) below (regardless of whether the applicant submits an online application or a paper application), unless that statement is contradicted by other information in the registration materials. In most cases, the Office will accept variant forms of these transfer statements.
The U.S. Copyright Office will accept a transfer statement that clearly states that the copyright was transferred to the claimant by a written agreement.
Examples:
By acquisition, merger, merger agreement, merger transaction, or the like (provided that both the author and claimant are legal entities).
By assignment.
By written assignment.
By written consent.
The U.S. Copyright Office will accept a transfer statement that clearly states that the copyright was transferred to the claimant by a written transfer that was made by a third party.
Examples:
The U.S. Copyright Office will accept a transfer statement that clearly states that the copyright was transferred to the claimant by will or by the applicable laws of intestate succession.
Examples:
The U.S. Copyright Office will accept a transfer statement that clearly states that the copyright was transferred to the claimant by operation of law.
Examples:
By operation of state community property law.
Community property state.
The transfer statement provided in the application will appear on the certificate of registration and the online public record. Therefore, the statement should be as accurate and complete as possible in order to provide a reliable public record.
As a general rule, if the claimant named in the application is not an author or co-author of the work, the applicant should provide a transfer statement. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the application fails to provide a transfer statement or if the transfer statement is unclear or contradicted by other information in the registration materials.
A transfer statement should be provided in the appropriate field/space of the application.
Submitting a copy of an agreement, conveyance, or other legal instrument is not an acceptable substitute for a transfer statement. If the applicant submits a legal document in lieu of providing a proper transfer statement, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
The applicant need not and should not submit a copy of any agreement, conveyance, or other legal instrument that may be referenced in the transfer statement. The U.S. Copyright Office will not interpret any agreement or other document pertaining to copyright.
If the applicant would like to record a transfer of copyright ownership or any other document pertaining to copyright, that document should be submitted separately using the procedures for recording documents with the U.S. Copyright Office. For a detailed discussion of these procedures, see Chapter 2300.
An application to register a motion picture is submitted along with a photocopy of an assignment involving this work. Biscuit Studios is named as the author, Grey Bullet LLC is named as the claimant, and the transfer statement indicates that the claimant obtained the copyright “by written agreement.” The registration specialist will register the claim, but will not record the assignment or return the document to the applicant.
An online application is submitted for a musical work, naming Jonathan Rich as the author and Poor Boy Productions LLC as the sole copyright claimant. In addition, the applicant uploads a signed, original copy of a contract that purportedly conveys the copyright in the work from the author to the copyright claimant. The Transfer field states, "see document attached." The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant. The specialist will explain that a contract is not an acceptable substitute for a transfer statement and will ask for permission to replace the phrase "see document attached" with an appropriate transfer statement, such as "by written agreement" or "by written contract."
As a general rule, the applicant need not provide a transfer statement for each transfer of ownership between the author and the party that currently owns all of the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author. Ordinarily, the registration specialist will accept a transfer statement that describes the most recent transfer between the claimant named in the application and the previous copyright owner, unless the statement is unclear or contradicted by other information in the registration materials.
In special circumstances, the registration specialist may ask the applicant to submit a supplementary statement describing the entire chain of title from the author to the claimant, such as when the work was created by a long-deceased author or a recently-deceased well-known author and there is no indication that the claimant is related to that author.
registration specialist will ask the applicant to provide a statement describing the chain of title from the author to the copyright claimant.
The U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a transfer statement indicating that the claimant obtained the copyright through an oral agreement; a statement indicating that the claimant does not own all of the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author; a statement that merely describes the relationship between the author and claimant; or a statement that merely references the material object in which the work has been fixed. Each of these topics is discussed in Sections 620.10(C)(1) through 620.10(C)(4) below.
As discussed above, the copyright in a work created and/or first published on or after January 1, 1978 cannot be transferred by an oral agreement, unless the agreement has been memorialized in a written note or memorandum signed by the copyright owner or the owner’s duly authorized agent. 17 U.S.C. § 204(a).
If the transfer statement states or suggests that the copyright was transferred to the claimant by oral agreement, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine whether the agreement was confirmed in a written document signed by the copyright owner. If so, the specialist will ask the applicant for permission to amend the transfer statement to read “by written agreement.”
If the oral agreement has not been confirmed in writing, the specialist will ask the applicant for permission to name the author of the work as the sole copyright claimant.
As discussed in Section 619.1, the author of the work or a person or entity that owns all of the rights under copyright are the only parties entitled to be named as a copyright claimant. If the transfer statement states or suggests that the copyright claimant is a party that owns some — but less than all — of the exclusive rights, a nonexclusive licensee, or any other party that does not own all the rights under copyright, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
The following are examples of statements that may indicate that the claimant does not own all of the rights in the copyright:
Examples:
By transfer of all rights, except the exclusive right of performance (or the like).
By transfer of all United States rights in videogame, except right to create hand held version of the work.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a transfer statement that merely describes the relationship between the author and the claimant without specifying how the claimant obtained ownership of the copyright.
Examples:
The U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a transfer statement that merely refers to the transfer, ownership, or possession of a material object in which the work has been fixed. Ownership or possession of a copy or phonorecord does not convey any rights in the copyright, nor does the transfer of ownership of the copyright convey property rights in any material object in which the work has been fixed (absent an agreement to that effect). 17 U.S.C. § 202.
Examples:
620.10(D) No Transfer Statement Given
As a general rule, if the name provided in the Name of Author field/space differs from the name provided in the Name of Claimant field/space, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the applicant fails to provide a transfer statement. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which are discussed in Sections 620.10(D)(1) through 620.10(D)(2) below.
620.10(D)(1) Copyright Transferred by Inheritance or by Operation of Law
As a general rule, an application may be accepted without a transfer statement if it is clear that the copyright was transferred to the copyright claimant by inheritance or by operation of law.
620.10(D)(1)(a) Inheritance
The registration specialist may accept an application without a transfer statement if the author is deceased and it is clear that the claimant is the author's heir.
Example:
Wilson" is named as the copyright claimant. The registration specialist may register the claim, even if the applicant fails to provide a transfer statement.
The U.S. Copyright Office may accept an application if it is clear that the copyright was transferred to an unincorporated partnership by operation of law, even if the applicant does not provide a transfer statement. Typically, a partnership is an unincorporated business that is owned by two or more individuals. A partnership necessarily requires a written agreement stipulating that the partners are co-owners of any property held by the partnership, and works created by one of the partners are often considered the property of the partnership as a whole. Therefore, if the applicant names an unincorporated partnership as the claimant, and it is clear that one or more of the authors is a member of the partnership, the application may be accepted even if the applicant fails to provide a transfer statement.
Examples:
As a general rule, if the author and the claimant are the same person, the registration specialist may accept an application without a transfer statement even if the names provided in the fields/spaces for the Name of Author and the Name of Claimant are different. For examples that illustrate this practice, see Sections 620.10(D)(2)(a) and 620.10(D)(2)(b) below.
If the names provided in the fields/spaces for the Name of Author and the Name of Claimant are different, and if the applicant does not provide a transfer statement, the registration specialist may register the claim if the claimant is an individual and if the applicant checked the box indicating that the work is anonymous or pseudonymous. In this situation, the specialist will conclude that the applicant provided the author's real name in the Name of Claimant field/space and concealed the author's identity in the Name of Author field/space by stating "anonymous" or by providing the author's pseudonym.
Example:
For a detailed discussion of anonymous and pseudonymous works, see Sections 615.1 and 615.2.
If an individual is named as the author and an unincorporated organization is named as the claimant, the application may be accepted without a transfer statement if it is clear that the individual and the organization are the same legal entity or that the organization is merely a trade name or other assumed name for the individual.
As a general rule, the registration specialist may conclude that an individual and an unincorporated organization are the same legal entity if the applicant clearly states that the individual is "trading as," "doing business as," or "also known as" the organization or that the unincorporated organization is "solely owned by" the individual. Likewise, the specialist may register a claim without a transfer statement if there is a clear relationship between the name of the individual and the name of the unincorporated organization.
By contrast, if the individual and the organization appear to be separate legal entities or if the organization appears to be a corporation, the specialist will communicate with the applicant.
Examples:
is named as the copyright claimant. A transfer statement has not been provided. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant, because the relationship between the author and the claimant is unclear. In a telephone conversation, Margaret confirms that she does business under the name Sassy Lass Haute Couture. The specialist will add this information to the registration record and will register the claim.
As a general rule, if the author and the claimant appear to be the same person or organization the registration specialist will ignore any extraneous information that may be provided in the Transfer field/space, unless it explains or contradicts information that has been provided elsewhere in the registration materials.
Examples:
registration specialist will ignore the extraneous statement and will register the claim.
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for limiting the scope of a claim to copyright. A claim should be limited if the work contains an appreciable amount of material that was previously published, material that was previously registered, material that is in the public domain, and/or material that is owned by an individual or legal entity other than the claimant who is named in the application.
Derivative works almost always contain unclaimable material because, by definition, they are based on, or incorporate, one or more preexisting works. Likewise, compilations, including collective works, usually contain unclaimable material because they are often comprised of previously published, previously registered, public domain material, or material that is owned by a third party. To register a derivative work, a compilation, a collective work, or any other type of work that contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should identify and exclude that material in the application using the procedure described in Section 621.8 below.
A registration for a work of authorship extends only to the new material that the author contributed to that work. It does not extend to any unclaimable material that may appear in that work. For purposes of registration, unclaimable material includes the following types of material:
These categories are described and discussed below in Sections 621.4 through 621.7.
If the work described in the application contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should identify the unclaimable material that appears in that work and should exclude that material from the claim. Specifically, the applicant should provide a brief, accurate description of the unclaimable material in the appropriate field/space of the application. In the case of an online application, the applicant should provide this information in the Material Excluded field on the Limitation of Claim screen. In the case of a paper application, the applicant should provide this information in space 6(a) in the space marked Preexisting Material. For instructions on how to complete these portions of the application, see Section 621.8(B) below.
In addition, the applicant should identify the new authorship that is being claimed in the application. The applicant should provide this information in the New Material Included field of the online application or in space 6(b) of a paper application in the space marked Material Added to this Work. In the case of a derivative work, the applicant should provide a brief description of the new or revised material that the author contributed to the work. In the case of a compilation, the applicant should provide a brief description of the preexisting material or data that has been selected, coordinated, and/or arranged by the author. For instructions on how to complete these portions of the application, see Section 621.8(C) and 621.8(D).
The information provided in these fields/spaces will appear on the certificate of registration in the field marked Limitation of Copyright Claim and in the online public record in the fields marked Preexisting Material and Basis of Claim (regardless of whether the applicant submits an online application or a paper application).
Completing these fields/spaces correctly is essential to defining the claim that is being registered and it ensures that the public record will be accurate. The registration specialist may either annotate the registration record or communicate with the applicant if the work appears to be a derivative work, a compilation, a collective work, or any other work containing an appreciable amount of unclaimable material and if the applicant fails to exclude that unclaimable material from the claim.
Examples:
1.0 in the Previous Registration field or by stating “previously registered version” in the Material Excluded field and by stating “new computer code” in the New Material Included field.
If the applicant intends to register a work that contains a minimal amount of unclaimable material, the applicant need not identify or disclaim that material in the application. Unclaimable material should be disclaimed only if it represents an appreciable portion of the work as a whole. Likewise, if the work contains material that is uncopyrightable, such as facts or mere ideas, there is no need to exclude that material from the application.
Generally, applicants do not need to disclaim attributions, citations, or direct quotations, because in most cases it is obvious that this material was not created by the author of the work and is not owned by the copyright claimant. This may be indicated by the quotations marks themselves, or by blocks of text that have been indented and set aside from the rest of the text. It also may be indicated by attributions, citations, or other bibliographic references in the text, captions, footnotes, endnotes, bibliography, or the like.
Examples:
621.3 The Relationship Between the Author Created / Limitation of Claim Fields in the Online Application and the Relationship Between Spaces 2, 6(a), and 6(b) of the Paper Application
As a general rule, a claim to copyright is defined by the information provided in the Author Created field (in the case of an online application) or in the Nature of Authorship space (in the case of a paper application). Therefore, all of the material that the applicant intends to register should be identified in these fields/spaces.
If the work contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should complete the Limitation of Claim fields/spaces in order to limit the claim to the new copyrightable material created by the author. In this case, the claim to copyright is defined by the information provided in the New Material Included field or the information provided in space 6(b). Therefore, all of the material that the applicant intends to register should be described in this field/space. In such cases, the information that the applicant provides in the New Material Included field should be duplicated in the Author Created field. Likewise, the information that the applicant provides in space 6(b) should be duplicated in the Nature of Authorship space.
NOTE: The applicant should complete the New Material Included field of the online application or space 6(b) of the paper application only when unclaimable material has been excluded from the claim in the Material Excluded field of the online application or in space 6(a) of the paper application. If no material has been excluded from the claim, the applicant should not complete this portion of the application.
See Corrections and Amplifications of Copyright Registrations; Applications for Supplementary Registration, 63 Fed. Reg. 59,235, 59,235 (Nov. 3, 1998) ("The Copyright Office follows the general policy of requiring all authors and copyright claimants to supply information, consistent with 17 U.S.C. § 409, concerning the authorship being claimed in the application for registration.").
If the work described in the application contains an appreciable amount of copyrightable material that has been previously published, the previously published material should be excluded from the claim using the procedure described in Section 621.8(B). This rule applies regardless of whether the previously published material was published in the United States or in a foreign country (or both).
The U.S. Copyright Office requires applicants to disclaim previously published material for several reasons. In particular, this information may be needed to determine:
Requiring applicants to disclaim previously published material also encourages early registration and promotes administrative efficiency. For information concerning each of these issues, see Chapter 500, Section 503.5.
The applicant should determine whether the work contains previously published material on the date that the work is submitted to the Office. In other words, if the applicant intends to register a work that contains an appreciable amount of material that was published at any time before the application is submitted, the applicant should exclude that previously published material from the claim.
The date of creation for the work that the applicant intends to register is irrelevant to this determination. In other words, previously published material should be disclaimed, regardless of whether that material was created before or simultaneously with the work that the applicant intends to register. Likewise, previously published material should be disclaimed regardless of whether that material was published before or after the date of creation for the work that the applicant intends to register.
Examples:
deposit copies indicate that this is the second edition of this work and that the first edition was published in 2004. In the Material Excluded field the applicant states “previously published edition” to exclude the previously published material from the claim, and in the New Material Included field states “new text” to limit the claim to the new material that appears in the second edition. The registration specialist will register the claim.
For a definition and detailed discussion of publication, see Chapter 1900.
If the applicants intends to register a work that contains an appreciable amount of copyrightable material that has been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, the previously registered material should be excluded from the claim using the procedure described in Section 621.8(F).
Likewise, if the work contains an appreciable amount of copyrightable material that has been submitted for registration, but has not been registered yet, the previously submitted material should be identified on the application as excluded material. Once the previously submitted material has been registered, the material is then considered unclaimable material.
As a general rule, the Office will issue only one registration for each version of a particular work, because multiple registrations for the same work would confuse the public record. 37 C.F.R § 202.3(b)(11). In most cases, this means that the applicant should disclaim any portion of the work that has been registered before.
NOTE: There are three exceptions to this rule, which are discussed in Section 619.11 and Chapter 500, Sections 510.1 through 510.3.
Before filing an application with the Office, the applicant should determine whether the work contains previously registered material or material contained in the deposit copy(ies) for a previously or concurrently filed application. The date of creation and the date of publication for the work that the applicant intends to register are irrelevant to this determination. In other words, previously registered material or material submitted with a previously or concurrently filed application should be disclaimed, regardless of whether that material was created before or simultaneously with the work that the applicant intends to register. It should be disclaimed regardless of whether that material was registered before or after the date of creation for the work that the applicant intends to register. Likewise, it should be disclaimed regardless of whether that material was registered before or after the date of publication for the work that the applicant intends to register.
This rule applies only to copyright registrations issued by the Office, including any registration made under Section 408 of the Copyright Act, a renewal registration made under Section 304 of the Copyright Act, or a registration or renewal registration made under Title 17 of the United States Code as it existed before January 1, 1978. It does not apply to preregistrations issued by the Office. Nor does it apply to material that has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a foreign intellectual property office, or any other governmental or nongovernmental entity.
Examples:
If the applicant intends to register a work that contains an appreciable amount of material that is in the public domain in the United States, that material should be excluded from the claim using the procedure described in Section 621.8(B).
A copyrighted work enters the public domain in the United States when “its full copyright term has expired.” Golan v. Holder, 565 U.S. 302, 307 (2012). In addition, works published in the United States without a copyright notice on or before March 1, 1989 may be in the public domain, and works registered or published in the United States on or before December 31, 1963 may be in the public domain if the copyright was not renewed in a timely manner.
In most cases, material that is in the public domain has been published before, and as such, should also be excluded from the claim as previously published material.
The applicant should determine whether the work contains any public domain material on the date that the application is submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office. The date of creation and the date of publication for the work that the applicant intends to register are irrelevant to this determination. In other words, public domain material should be disclaimed, regardless of whether that material was created before or simultaneously with the work that the applicant intends to register. Likewise, it should be disclaimed regardless of whether that material entered the public domain before or after the date of creation or the date of publication for the work that the applicant intends to register.
This rule applies to material that is in the public domain in the United States. Material that is in the public domain in another country (but protected by copyright in the United States) need not be disclaimed (unless the material has been previously published, previously registered, or is owned by a third party).
Examples:
If the applicant intends to register a work that contains an appreciable amount of copyrightable material that is not owned by the claimant named in the application, that material should be excluded from the claim using the procedure described in Section 621.8(B).
The applicant should make this determination on the date that the work is submitted to the Office. In other words, if the work being registered includes an appreciable amount of material that is not owned by the copyright claimant as of the date that the application is filed, the applicant should exclude that material from the claim, and the application should be limited to the material that is owned by the claimant.
The date of creation and the date of publication for the work that the applicant intends to register are irrelevant to this determination. In other words, material that is owned by another party should be disclaimed, regardless of whether that material was created before or simultaneously with the work that the applicant intends to register. Likewise, it should be disclaimed regardless of whether a third party acquired the copyright in that material before or after the date of creation or the date of publication for the work that the applicant intends to register.
This Section provides guidance on completing the Limitation of Claim screen in an online application for works that contain an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, including derivative works. It also provides guidance on completing spaces 5, 6(a), and 6(b) of a paper application. For specific guidance on completing an application to register a compilation or a collective work that contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, see Section 621.8(D).
To register a claim to copyright, the applicant should identify all the copyrightable material that the applicant intends to register.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information on the Authors screen by checking one or more of the boxes that appear under the heading Author Created. When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information in space 2 of the application under the heading Nature of Authorship.
For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Sections 618.4(A) and 618.4(B). For guidance on completing this portion of the application for a compilation or a collective work, see Sections 618.6 and 618.7.
As a general rule, the information that the applicant provides in the Author Created field should be identical to the information that the applicant provides in the New Material Included field. Likewise, the information that the applicant provides in the Nature of Authorship space should be identical to the information that the applicant provides in space 6(b).
For guidance in completing the New Material Included field and space 6(b), see Section 621.8(C).
If the applicant intends to register a work that contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should exclude that material from the claim.
When completing an online application the applicant should identify the unclaimable material by checking one or more of the boxes that appear on the Limitation of Claim screen in the field marked Material Excluded that accurately describe the previously published material, previously registered material, public domain material, or separately owned material that appears in the work. The options for each type of work are listed below:
Literary Works
Works of the Visual Arts
Works of the Performing Arts
Sound Recordings
Motion Pictures and Audiovisual Works
Single Issue of a Serial Publication
For a definition and discussion of these terms, see Section 618.4(C).
If the terms provided in the checkboxes do not fully describe the unclaimable material that appears in the work, the applicant should provide a more specific description in the space marked Material Excluded/Other. Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in both the Material Excluded and the New Material Included fields is limited to 1800 characters.
NOTE: If you complete the Material Excluded field, you also must the complete the New Material Included field (and vice versa). If you fail to complete both portions of the Limitation of Claim screen, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system. For guidance in completing the New Material Included field, see Section 621.8(C).
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide a brief statement on space 6(a) of the application under the heading Preexisting Material that accurately describes the unclaimable material that should be excluded from the claim.
If the work does not contain an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the Material Excluded field of the online application or space 6(a) of the paper application may be left blank.
For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete this portion of the application, see Section 621.8(E).
621.8(C) Identifying the New Material That the Applicant Intends to Register
This Section provides guidance on completing the New Material Included field in the online application and space 6(b) in the paper application.
When completing an application to register a compilation or a collective work that contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should complete the New Material Included/Other field in the online application or space 6(b) of the paper application using the procedure described in 621.8(D).
NOTE: If the work does not contain an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, this portion of the application may be left blank. In other words, the New Material Included field should be completed only if material has been excluded from the claim in the Material Excluded field. Likewise, space 6(b) of the paper application should be completed only if material has been excluded from the claim in space 6(a).
When completing an online application, the applicant should identify the new authorship that he or she intends to register on the Limitation of Claim screen. Specifically, the applicant should check one or more of the boxes in the New Material Included field that accurately describe the new authorship that is owned by the copyright claimant. The options for each type of work are listed below:
Literary Works
Works of the Visual Arts
Works of the Performing Arts
Sound recordings
Motion Pictures and Audiovisual Works
Single Issue of a Serial Publication
Text
Photograph(s)
For a definition and discussion of these terms, see Section 618.4(C). For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete the New Material Included field, see Section 621.8(E).
NOTE: As discussed in Section 621.8(A), the information that the applicant provides in the New Material Included field should be identical to the information that the applicant provides in the Author Created field. But this portion of the application should be completed only if unclaimable material has been excluded from the claim in the Material Excluded field. If the work does not contain an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the Limitation of Claim screen may be left blank. If you complete the Material Excluded field, you also must complete the New Material Included field (and vice versa). If you fail to complete both portions of the Limitation of Claim screen, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system. For guidance in completing the Material Excluded field, see Section 621.8(B).
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept any of the terms listed above or any combination of these terms, provided that they accurately describe the copyrightable authorship being claimed. If the information provided in the New Material Included field is contradicted by the information provided elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant.
The applicant should only check the boxes that describe the authorship created by the author(s) named in the application that is owned by the individual or entity who is named as the copyright claimant. The applicant should not assert a claim in material that is not owned by the copyright claimant, material that will not be submitted for registration, or material that does not appear in the deposit copy(ies). Likewise, the applicant should not assert a claim in any material that is uncopyrightable or de minimis. For information concerning claims in uncopyrightable or de minimis material, see Sections 621.9(E) and 621.9(F).
The applicant should check the box(es) that identify the specific type of authorship that the applicant intends to register. For example, if the applicant intends to register a computer program or a set of blueprints, the applicant should check the box marked “computer program” or “technical drawing,” rather than the box marked “text” or “2-D artwork.” Likewise, if the applicant intends to register a new scene for a motion picture, the applicant should check the boxes marked “additional new footage” or “revisions/additions to script,” rather than the boxes marked “production as a motion picture” or “all other cinematographic material.”
If the terms provided in the checkboxes do not fully describe the new authorship that the applicant intends to register, the applicant should provide a more specific description in the field marked New Material Included/Other.
Examples:
The applicant intends to register new drawings that were added to a graphic novel. The applicant may assert a claim to copyright in this authorship by checking the box for “2-D artwork” in the New Material Included field, or by stating “new drawings added” in the New Material Included/Other field.
The applicant intends to register a new musical arrangement for a previously registered song. The applicant may assert a claim to copyright in this new authorship by checking the box for “musical arrangement” in the New Material Included field or by stating “new musical arrangement,” “revised music,” or the like in the New Material Included/Other field.
NOTE: Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in both the Material Excluded and the New Material Included fields is limited to 1800 characters.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should identify the new authorship that is owned by the copyright claimant that the applicant intends to register. This statement should be provided in space 6(b) under the heading Material Added to This Work.
The applicant should only assert a claim in material created by the author(s) named in the application that is owned by the copyright claimant. The applicant should not assert a claim in material that is not owned by the claimant, material that will not be submitted for registration, or material that does not appear in the deposit copy(ies). Likewise, the applicant should not assert a claim in any material that is uncopyrightable or de minimis. For information concerning claims in uncopyrightable or de minimis material, see Sections 621.9(E) and 621.9(F).
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office may accept any of the terms listed below or any combination of those terms, provided that they accurately describe the new authorship being claimed. In some cases, the Office may accept variant forms of these terms. If the statement provided in space 6(b) is contradicted by the information provided in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant.
For a definition and discussion of the following terms, see Section 618.4(C). For representative examples that demonstrate how to complete space 6(b), see Section 621.8(E).
Literary Work / Form TX
Work of the Visual Arts / Form VA
Work of the Performing Arts / Form PA
Sound recording / Form SR
Motion Picture or Audiovisual Work / Form PA
Single Serial Issue (i.e., a single issue of a serial publication) / Form SE
NOTE: As discussed in Section 621.8(A), the information that the applicant provides in space 6(b) should be identical to the information that the applicant provides in space 2, but this portion of the application should be completed only if unclaimable material has been excluded from the claim in space 6(a). If the work does not contain an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, spaces 6(a) and 6(b) of the application may be left blank.
To register a compilation, a collective work, or a contribution to a collective work that contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material, the applicant should identify the new material that the author created using the procedure described in Sections 618.6 or 618.7.
The applicant should exclude the unclaimable material from the application using the procedure described in Section 621.8(B).
In addition, the application should identify the new material that the applicant intends to register. When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information on the Limitation of Claim screen in the field marked New Material Included/Other. Currently, the total amount of text that may be provided in both the Material Excluded and the New Material Included fields is limited to 1800 characters. When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information in space 6(b).
The applicant should use the procedure described in Section 618.6 to assert a claim in a compilation, and should use the procedure described in Sections 618.7 and 618.7(A) to assert a claim in a collective work. To assert a claim in a contribution to a collective work, the applicant should use the procedure described in Section 618.7(B). To assert a claim in a single issue of a serial publication, the applicant should use the procedure described in Section 618.7(C).
As discussed in Section 621.8(A), the information that the applicant provides in the Author Created/New Material Included fields or in spaces 2 and 6(b) should be identical to each other.
Author Created/Other: Compilation of financial data concerning CDOs.
Material Excluded/Other: Previous version published in March 2008; financial data, namely, selection of CDOs held by Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and other financial institutions.
New Material Included/Other: Compilation of financial data concerning CDOs.
Title of work being registered: House of Cards.
Name of Author: Estragon & Co. (work made for hire box checked “yes”).
Author Created/Other: Compilation of articles.
Name of Author: Jonah Sarah (work made for hire box checked “no”).
Author Created/Other: Introduction.
Name of Claimant: Estragon & Co.
Transfer statement: By written agreement.
Material Excluded: Text.
New Material Included/Other: Introduction, compilation of articles.
This Section provides representative examples for completing the Author Created and New Material Included/Material Excluded fields in the online application and spaces 2, 6(a), and 6(b) in the paper application.
Examples:
Author Created: Entire Motion Picture.
Material Excluded: Text.
New Material Included: Entire Motion Picture.
Author Created/Other: Some original music and arrangement of public domain music.
Material Excluded/Other: Some public domain music.
New Material Included/Other: Some original music and arrangement of public domain music.
Author Created/Other: Text of introduction.
Material Excluded/Other: Public domain play, Romeo and Juliet.
New Material Included/Other: Text of introduction.
Author Created/Other: One new sound recording, remixing of previously published sound recordings, some new photographs.
Material Excluded/Other: Previously published sound recordings and photographs.
New Material Included/Other: One new sound recording, remixing of previously published sound recordings, some new photographs.
Author Created: 2-dimensional artwork.
Author Created/Other: New text.
Material Excluded/Other: Previously published text and artwork.
New Material Included: 2-dimensional artwork.
New Material Included/Other: New text.
Author Created: Text.
Material Excluded/Other: Illustrations, clip art used with permission.
New Material Included: Text.
Author Created/Other: Text of interviewer’s questions.
Material Excluded/Other: Text of interviewee's answers.
New Material Included/Other: Text of interviewer's questions.
Author Created: 2-D artwork.
Material Excluded/Other: Text.
New Material Included: 2-D artwork.
Author Created/Other: New program code.
Material Excluded/Other: Previously registered version.
New Material Included/Other: New program code.
Author Created: Sculpture, 2-D artwork.
Material Excluded/Other: Preexisting logos, 2-D artwork.
New Material Included: Sculpture, 2-D artwork.
Author Created: Map.
Material Excluded/Other: U.S. Geological Survey map, San Juan municipal maps.
New Material Included: Map.
Space 2: Reproduction of work of art.
Space 6(a): Artwork.
Space 6(b): Reproduction of work of art.
Space 2: Maps, text.
Space 6(a): Public domain map.
Space 6(b): Maps, text.
Space 2: Revised text.
Space 6(a): Previously registered screenplay.
Space 6(b): Revised text.
For examples that illustrate how to complete an application to register a compilation, a collective work, or a contribution to a collective work, see Section 621.8(D). For additional examples, use this link to access the “help” section of the U.S. Copyright Office’s electronic registration system.
If the applicant intends to register a work that contains an appreciable amount of material that has been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, the applicant should provide the registration number for that material and the year that the registration was issued.
Likewise, if the work contains an appreciable amount of material that was previously submitted for registration (but has not been registered yet), the applicant should provide the case number/service request number for the previous application. In the alternative, the applicant may state “pending” and provide the date that the previous application was submitted.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information on the Limitation of Claim screen in the field marked Previous Registration.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information on space 5 of the application. Specifically, the applicant should check the “yes” box that appears on space 5 under the heading Previous Registration. The registration number that has been assigned to the previous registration should be provided under the heading Previous Registration Number. The year that the previous registration was issued should be provided under the heading Year of Registration.
If the Office has issued multiple registrations for the unclaimable material, the applicant should provide the registration number and year of registration for the two most recent registrations.
If the work submitted for registration does not contain an appreciable amount of previously registered material, the Previous Registration field/space should be left blank.
If the applicant is seeking a basic registration for a work that has been preregistered, the applicant should provide the preregistration number for that work in the application for basic registration. Doing so ensures that the records for the preregistration and the basic registration are cross-referenced with each other.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide the preregistration number for the work (beginning with the prefix “PRE”) on the Publication/Completion screen in the field marked Preregistration Number. The applicant should not provide this information on the Limitation of Claim screen in the field marked Previous Registration.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide the preregistration number in space 5 of the application and check the box marked “no” that appears in that space under the heading Previous Registration.
For a detailed discussion of preregistration, see Chapter 1600.
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office’s practices and procedures for examining applications for derivative works, compilations, collective works, or any other work that contains an appreciable amount of unclaimable material.
As a general rule, “[a]ny substantive editing of authorship and/or new matter statements and/or material excluded from claim statements, will be done only after contacting the applicant for permission to amend the information” set forth in that portion of the application. Online Registration to Claims of Copyright, 72 Fed. Reg. 36,883, 36,887 (July 6, 2007). In some cases, the registration specialist may annotate the registration record to clarify the extent of the claim and to identify material that should be excluded from the claim. In other cases, the scope of the claim may be clear from the face of the application, even though the application is incomplete or has been completed incorrectly. If the scope of the claim is unclear and the issue cannot be addressed with an annotation, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
As discussed in Section 621.2, if a work contains only a minimal amount of unclaimable material, the New Material Included, Material Excluded, and Previous Registration fields may be left blank in the online application, or spaces 5, 6(a), and/or 6(b) may be left blank in a paper application. Likewise, there is no need to complete these portions of the application if the work contains material that is not copyrightable.
An online application is submitted for a 500-page catalog. A statement on the deposit copy indicates that the text and photographs on pages 390–395 appeared in an earlier edition of the catalog, but the rest of the content is new. The Limitation of Claim screen may be left blank, because the work does not contain an appreciable amount of previously published material.
An online application is submitted for a comedy sketch. The applicant asserts a claim in “text.” In the Note to Copyright Office field, the applicant explains that “the characters in this work are loosely based on two well-known television personalities.” The New Material Included/Material Excluded fields may be left blank, because it appears that the author merely borrowed ideas, themes, or other uncopyrightable material from another work.
If it is clear that the claimant is not asserting a claim to copyright in the unclaimable material that appears in the work, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant. In making this determination, the registration specialist may consider the title of the work or any other information found in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials.
Examples:
with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Art reproductions are derivative works, based on the underlying work of art, per 17 USC 101, definition of ‘derivative work.’”
If the applicant completes the New Material Included/Material Excluded fields or spaces 6(a) and 6(b), but the deposit copy(ies) do not appear to contain any unclaimable material, the registration specialist may annotate the record to clarify the content of the deposit copy(ies).
Example:
The applicant should provide the name of the author(s) who created the new material that the applicant intends to register. The applicant need not and should not provide the name of the author(s) who created any unclaimable material that may be included in the work.
An application may be accepted if it names both the author of the unclaimable material and the author of the new material, provided that the unclaimable material itself has been excluded from the claim. Identifying the author of the unclaimable material is considered superfluous in this situation. Likewise, an application may be accepted if the author of the new material and the author of the unclaimable material are named as co-claimants, provided that the work appears to be a joint work and provided that the application has been certified by the author of the new material or his or her authorized agent. Otherwise, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
The copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register should be clearly identified in the application, and the scope of the claim to copyright in that authorship should be clearly stated. As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will accept any of the terms set forth in Section 621.8(C), or any combination of those terms, unless the statement provided in the New Material Included field or space 6(b) is contradicted by information provided elsewhere in the registration materials. For examples of terms that may be considered unclear, see Sections 618.8(A)(1) through 618.8(A)(10).
As discussed in Section 621.8(C), the New Material Included field in the online application or space 6(b) of the paper application should identify all of the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register. As discussed in Sections 621.8(A) and 621.8(C), the statement provided in the Author Created field should be identical to the statement provided in the New Material Included field (if any). Likewise, the statement provided in space 2 should be identical to the statement provided in space 6(b) (if any).
If there is a discrepancy between the statements provided in the Author Created/New Material Included fields or in spaces 2 and 6(b), or if the deposit copy(ies) contain an appreciable amount of copyrightable authorship that is mentioned in one portion of the application but not the other, the registration specialist may register the claim if the statements are consistent with each other and if the claim is clear based on the registration materials as a whole. If there is a conflict between these statements or if the extent of the claim is unclear, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant.
As a general rule, if the work appears to contain an appreciable amount of unclaimable material and if the applicant fails to complete the New Material Included and/or Material Excluded fields in an online application, or fails to complete spaces 5 and/or 6(a) and/or 6(b) on a paper application, the registration specialist may register the work if the claim is clearly limited by information provided in the application or elsewhere in the registration materials. If so, the specialist may amend the application and/or add an annotation to the registration record to clarify the extent of the claim. If this information is not provided in the application itself, the specialist may communicate with the applicant.
If the extent of the claim is clearly defined by the title provided in the application or the title given on the deposit copy(ies), the registration specialist may register the claim, even if the applicant failed to complete the Limitation of Claim screen in the online application or spaces 6(a) and/or 6(b) in a paper application.
Examples:
the claim without communicating with the applicant. The title indicates that the claim is limited to the new musical arrangements but does not extend to any music that is in the public domain.
NOTE: If the applicant used the Single Application, the specialist would refuse registration in this situation. The Single Application may be used to register one work by one author, but it cannot be used if the deposit contains two or more works. For information concerning the Single Application, see Chapter 1400, Section 1405.
If the applicant fails to complete the New Material Included and/or Material Excluded fields in an online application or fails to complete spaces 6(a) and/or 6(b) on a paper application, the application may be accepted if the claim is clearly defined by information provided in the Author Created field or the Nature of Authorship space.
UnderWare LLC submits an online application for a computer program titled Passion for Fashion v. 3.0. UnderWare is named as the sole author of the work and its name appears in the copyright notice. In the Author Created/Other field the applicant asserts a claim in “numerous updates to this version.” Although this information should have been provided in both the Author Created and New Material Included fields, the registration specialist may register the claim, because the application is clearly limited to the updates that the author made to this work.
Kyle Kessler submits a paper application for a floral pattern naming himself as the author and claimant. In space 6(a) the applicant disclaims “previous unadorned version of artwork.” In the Nature of Authorship space the applicant asserts a claim in “updated adorned version of artwork.” Although this information also should have been provided in space 6(b), the registration specialist may register the claim, because it is clearly limited to the “updated adorned version.”
If the information provided in the New Material Included field describes both the unclaimable material and the new material that the applicant intends to register, and if the Material Excluded field has been left blank (or vice versa), the registration specialist may move the information to the correct field and register the claim without communicating with the applicant. The registration specialist may follow the same approach if the applicant failed to complete space 6(b) and if the information provided in space 6(a) of the paper application describes both the unclaimable material and the new material that the applicant intends to register (or vice versa).
Examples:
If the applicant fails to complete spaces 6(a) and/or 6(b) in a paper application, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, if the applicant has completed space 5. (This portion of the application poses the following question to the applicant: "Has registration for this work, or for an earlier version of this work, already been made in the Copyright Office?") Specifically if the applicant checked box "c" in space 5, the specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, provided that the work appears to be "a changed version of the work."
If the applicant fails to complete the New Material Included and/or Material Excluded fields in an online application or fails to complete spaces 6(a) and/or 6(b) on a paper application, the application may be accepted if the scope of the claim is clearly defined by the deposit copy(ies). If so, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, or may add an annotation to clarify the scope of the claim, if appropriate.
Examples:
The authorship that is claimed in the New Material Included field or space 6(b) must be copyrightable. If the applicant asserts a claim in uncopyrightable material, the U.S. Copyright Office may ask for permission to remove that claim from the application, or in appropriate cases, may add an annotation to clarify that the registration does not cover that element. If the claim appears to be limited to the uncopyrightable material, or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work, the Office will refuse registration.
If the deposit copy(ies) contain copyrightable material as well as uncopyrightable material, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, provided that the applicant does not claim the uncopyrightable material in the New Material Included field or in space 6(b).
If the New Material Included field or space 6(b) of the application asserts a claim in copyrightable material and material that is uncopyrightable under the Copyright Act, Section 202.1 of the regulations, or this Compendium, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant. In the alternative, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation indicating that the registration does not cover the uncopyrightable material. The annotation is intended to put the applicant, the claimant, the courts, and the general public on notice concerning the extent of the claim to copyright.
If the deposit copy(ies) contain copyrightable material and if the applicant only asserts a claim in material that is uncopyrightable, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant, which will delay the examination of the claim. Alternatively, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation describing the copyrightable material contained in the deposit copy(ies) and indicating that the registration does not cover the uncopyrightable material.
If the applicant uses a term in the New Material Included field or space 6(b) of the application that normally would be used to describe copyrightable authorship, such as “artwork” or “text,” and if it appears that the applicant is using that term to describe material that is uncopyrightable, the specialist may communicate or may register the claim with an annotation indicating that the registration does not cover the uncopyrightable material.
If two or more authors are named in the application, and if it appears that one or more of the authors did not contribute copyrightable authorship to the work, the specialist will ask for permission to remove the noncontributing author’s information from the registration record.
If the applicant asserts a claim in material that is uncopyrightable under the Copyright Act, Section 202.1, or this Compendium, the registration specialist will refuse registration if the claim appears to be limited to that material or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work.
The material described in the New Material Included field or in space 6(b) must be copyrightable. If the material claimed in that field/space is de minimis, the U.S. Copyright Office may ask for permission to remove that claim from the application, or in appropriate cases may add an annotation to clarify that the registration does not cover that element. If the claim appears to be limited to the de minimis material or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work, the Office will refuse registration.
If the deposit copy(ies) contain copyrightable material and de minimis material, the registration specialist may register the claim without communicating with the applicant, provided that the applicant does not claim the de minimis material in the New Material Included field or in space 6(b).
If the applicant asserts a claim in copyrightable material and de minimis material, the registration specialist may ask the applicant for permission to remove the claim in the de minimis material, which will delay the examination of the claim. Alternatively, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation identifying the copyrightable material that has been submitted for registration and stating that the registration does not cover the de minimis material claimed in the application.
If two or more authors are named in the application, and if it appears that one of the authors contributed only a de minimis amount of authorship, the specialist will communicate with the applicant. If the applicant confirms that the author did not make a copyrightable contribution to the work, the specialist will ask for permission to remove that author’s name from the registration record.
If the applicant asserts a claim in de minimis material, the registration specialist will refuse registration if the claim appears to be limited to that material, or if there appears to be no other basis for asserting a valid claim in the work.
If the applicant completes the Material Excluded field or space 6(b), but the deposit copy(ies) do not appear to contain any unclaimable material, the registration specialist may annotate the record to clarify the content of the deposit copy(ies).
If the applicant completes the New Material Included field or space 6(a), but the authorship described in that portion of the application does not appear in the deposit copy(ies), the specialist may register the claim with an annotation identifying the copyrightable material that appears in the deposit.
specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding limitation of claim: Deposit contains only one photograph.”
The presence of multiple year dates in the copyright notice for a published work (e.g., © Mountain View Software 2004, 2005, 2006) may indicate that portions of the work have been previously published or previously registered. Likewise, a copyright notice that precedes the date of publication for a published work by two or more years (e.g., Rise and Shine, published January 2008, © Sunny Day Inc. 2005) may indicate that the work contains previously published or previously registered material. In this situation, the registration specialist may question an application if the applicant fails to complete the Limitation of Claim screen in an online application or spaces 5, 6(a), and/or 6(b) in a paper application.
The presence of an earlier date or multiple dates in the copyright notice for an unpublished work does not necessarily mean that the work contains unclaimable material. However, if the date clearly refers to previously published material or previously registered material, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if the applicant failed to complete the Limitation of Claim screen or spaces 5, 6(a), and/or 6(b) of the paper application.
If the applicant checks the “yes” box on space 5 of a paper application without providing a registration number and/or year of registration, or with a statement such as “unknown” or “I don’t know,” the registration specialist may either communicate with the applicant, or may attempt to locate the previous registration information in the U.S. Copyright Office’s records. In conducting such a search, the specialist will only look for works that have been registered under the exact same author and title as the work described in the application.
If there is no record of a previous registration under the same author and title, the specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding previous registration: Copyright Office records show no previous registration under this title.”
If the work described in the application has been published, and if the specialist finds another work registered under the exact same author and title, he or she may add the previous registration number and year to the registration record. If the previous registration is for an unpublished version of the work described in the application, the specialist may explain that the Office is issuing a new registration for the first published edition of this work by adding an annotation, such as: “Regarding previous registration: Registration number added from Copyright Office records. Registered as first published edition.” If the previous registration is for a previously published version of the work described in the application, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine whether there is a basis for issuing a new registration.
In some cases, the applicant may check box (a) in space 5, indicating that “this is the first published edition of a work previously registered in unpublished form” without providing a date of publication for the work that has been submitted for registration and without providing a previous registration number or year of registration. If the work appears to be unpublished, and if there is no record of a previous registration under the same title, the registration specialist may add an annotation, such as: “Regarding previous registration: Application states that this is the first published edition of a work previously registered in unpublished form, but no publication date or previous registration number given. Registered as unpublished.”
Where the applicant provides a number in the Previous Registration field/space, but the number is clearly erroneous or does not relate to a registration issued by the U.S. Copyright Office, the registration specialist may annotate the registration record and register the claim without communicating with the applicant. If the applicant provides an erroneous number and checks the “yes” box on space 5 of a paper application, the specialist may ask the applicant for permission to remove that number from the registration record and to change the answer on space 5 from “yes” to “no.”
Examples:
by changing the answer on space 5 of the application from “yes” to “no.”
If the applicant provides a preregistration number in the Previous Registration field in the online application, the registration specialist will move that information to the correct portion of the registration record.
If the applicant provides a preregistration number on a paper application, the specialist will move that information to the correct portion of the record. If the applicant checks the “yes” box that appears in space 5, the specialist will register the work with an annotation, such as: “Regarding previous registration: Information refers to preregistration under 17 USC 408(f), not full registration under 17 USC 408(a).”
This Section discusses the procedures for providing contact information in the Standard Application or a paper application.
For guidance on providing this type of information in the Single Application, or an application for a group registration, a renewal registration, or a supplementary registration, see the following chapters:
The applicant may provide the name, address, and other contact information for the person and/or organization that should be contacted for permission to use the work. Providing this information is optional and an application will be accepted even if this portion of the application is left blank.
The applicant may provide rights and permissions information in an online application on the Rights and Permissions Information screen. Currently, there is no space for this information on the paper applications.
The applicant may provide as much or as little information as the applicant prefers. For example, the applicant may provide the name of the person and/or organization who may be contacted for permission to use the work, along with the street address, telephone number, fax number, and email address (if any) for that person or organization. If the applicant prefers not to provide personally identifiable information, the applicant may provide the name and address for a third party agent or a post office box number in lieu of a street address.
If the applicant provides rights and permissions information on the application, that information will appear on the certificate of registration, which will be made available to the public upon request. In addition, rights and permissions information will appear in the online public record for the work, which can be accessed by anyone who performs a search for the work on the U.S. Copyright Office's website.
Once a certificate of registration has been issued, the author, claimant, or their authorized representative may ask the Office to remove or replace this information in the online public record (but not the offline public record). To do so, the requesting party must submit a written request in the form of an affidavit, and must pay the appropriate fee for this service. For more information on this procedure, see Chapter 1800, Section 1805.
For a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
The applicant must provide the name, address, and other contact information for the person or persons who should be contacted if the registration specialist has questions or concerns regarding the application. This person is known as the correspondent.
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will direct all communications concerning an application or a registration to the correspondent at the email address, phone number, or mailing address provided in the registration record.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information on the Correspondent screen; when completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information on space 7(b) of the application under the heading Correspondence. Specifically, the applicant should provide the correspondent's first and last name, along with the street address (or P.O. Box) and email address where that person may be contacted. If the applicant fails to provide this information in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system. In addition, the applicant is strongly encouraged to provide the area code, daytime telephone number, and fax number (if any) for the correspondent, as well as the name of the organization (if any) where the correspondent may be reached.
When a duly authorized agent or other third party submits an application on behalf of the author, the claimant, and/or an owner of one or more of the exclusive rights in the work, the third party should provide his or her name, address, and contact information in the Correspondent field/space.
The name and address provided in the application will not appear in the online public record, but it will appear on the certificate of registration and the offline registration record. The Office will not remove this information from the offline registration record once a registration has been issued, and may make this information available to the public upon request. See generally Removal of Personally Identifiable Information From Registration Records, 82 Fed. Reg. 9004 (Feb. 2, 2017).
For a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
The applicant may assign an internal tracking number to an online application by completing the field marked Applicant's Internal Tracking Number on the Certification screen.
Providing a tracking number is optional and this feature is intended solely for the applicant's convenience. The U.S. Copyright Office does not use these numbers to keep track of pending applications, although the number will appear on the certificate of registration.
The applicant should provide the first and last name of the person and/or the name of the organization to whom the certificate of registration should be sent, along with the street address (or P.O. Box), city, state, and zip code for that person and/or organization.
When completing an online application, the applicant should provide this information on the Mail Certificate screen. If the applicant fails to provide this information, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide this information in space 9 of the application under the heading 'Certificate Will be Mailed in Window Envelope to This Address.' Space 9 should be completed legibly; failure to provide a legible name and address may delay the delivery of the certificate of registration.
The applicant should provide only one mailing address in the application. The Office will send a single copy of the certificate of registration to that address by first class mail. Additional copies of the certificate of registration may be obtained from the Office for an additional fee. For instructions on how to request additional copies of a certificate of registration, see Chapter 2400, Section 2408.
The name and mailing address provided in the application will not appear in the online public record, but it will appear on the certificate of registration and the offline registration record. The Office will not remove this information from the offline registration record once a registration has been issued, and may make this information available to the public upon request. See generally Removal of Personally Identifiable Information From Registration Records, 82 Fed. Reg. 9004 (Feb. 2, 2017).
For a general discussion of privacy issues, see Chapter 200, Section 205.
This Section discusses the U.S. Copyright Office's practices and procedures for special handling.
Special handling is a procedure for expediting the examination of an application to register a claim to copyright or the recordation of a document pertaining to copyright. The U.S. Copyright Office offers this service in certain circumstances where a copyright owner or other interested parties have a compelling reason for the expedited issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation, as described in Section 623.2. The Office charges an additional fee for this service, which is discussed in Section 623.6.
The copyright law provides that a work of authorship is protected by copyright from the moment it is fixed in a tangible medium of expression and that a registration or recordation is not a prerequisite for such protection. 17 U.S.C. §§ 102(a), 408(a). However, registration is required in order to institute a lawsuit for the infringement of a U.S. work, and recordation is required in order to obtain the benefit of certain statutory provisions and presumptions. See 17 U.S.C. §§ 203(a)(4)(A), 205(c), 304(c)(4)(A), 411(a), 412.
The Office recognizes that a delay in the issuance of a certificate may create difficulties for the copyright owner or other interested parties, particularly when litigation is expected. Therefore, the Office has established a procedure for processing applications and recording documents on an expedited basis for an additional fee. The procedure for requesting special handling is discussed in Section 623.5.
See generally Fees for Special Handling of Registration Claims, 74 Fed. Reg. 39,900 (Aug. 10, 2009); Policy Decision: Revised Special Handling Procedures, 56 Fed. Reg. 37,528 (Aug. 7, 1991); Policy Decision Fixing Fees for the Special Handling of Import Statements and Documents, 50 Fed. Reg. 46,206 (Nov. 6, 1985); Policy Decision Announcing Fee for Special Handling of Applications for Copyright Registration, 47 Fed. Reg. 19,254 (May 4, 1982).
The U.S. Copyright Office will grant a request for special handling in the following situations:
The Office may refuse to grant special handling if the request is not sufficiently justified, or if the Office is unable to process the request based on the Office's workload or budget at the time the request is made. The Office will not grant any request for special handling in connection with a request for reconsideration of a refusal to register.
Examples:
See Fees for Special Handling of Registration Claims, 74 Fed. Reg. at 39,900-01 (August 10, 2009); Policy Decision: Revised Special Handling Procedures, 56 Fed. Reg. at 37,528 (August 7, 1991); Policy Decision Fixing Fees for the Special Handling of Import Statements and Documents, 50 Fed. Reg. at 46,206 (November 6, 1985).
623.3 Examination Guidelines: Special Handling
The U.S. Copyright Office will apply the same practices and procedures when examining a claim to copyright or a document pertaining to copyright, regardless of whether the applicant asks for special handling.
623.4 Timeline for Special Handling Requests
Once a request for special handling has been received, the U.S. Copyright Office will determine if the applicant paid the correct fee and provided a compelling justification for the request, as discussed in Section 623.2. If the applicant failed to pay the correct fee, failed to provide a compelling justification, or if the Office determines that special handling would be unduly burdensome, the Office will notify the applicant that the request has been denied and that the claim will be examined on a regular basis.
If the request for special handling is granted, the Office will make every attempt to examine the application or the document within five working days thereafter, although the Office cannot guarantee that all applications or all documents will be registered or recorded within that timeframe.
As a general rule, the Office will issue a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation within five working days after the request for special handling has been granted, if it is clear that the material deposited constitutes copyrightable subject matter and that the other legal and formal requirements of U.S. copyright law have been met.
If there are questions or issues that prevent the Office from registering the work or recording the document, the Office generally will notify the party that submitted the application or document within five working days after the request for special handling has been granted. If the applicant responds to this communication, the Office will provide its response to the applicant's communication(s) within a reasonable amount of time.
If it is clear that the requirements of the law have not been met, the Office will refuse to register the claim or will refuse to record the document. A refusal will be made in a written communication signed or initialed by the registration or recordation specialist or supervisor assigned to the claim or document. The communication will be mailed to the party that submitted the application or document. However, the Office cannot guarantee that a decision will be made or that the refusal will be issued within the timeframe specified above.
To expedite an application to register a work, the applicant may send a written request to the U.S. Copyright Office online, in person, or by commercial carrier, courier, or mail. To expedite a document recordation, the remitter may send a written request to the Office in person, or by commercial carrier, courier, or mail. The procedures for each type of request are discussed in Sections 623.5(A) through 623.5(D).
The request may be made when the application or document is submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office or any time before the Office issues a certificate of registration, a certificate of recordation, or a refusal. In all cases, the Office will retain a copy of the request in the registration record or the recordation record.
When requesting special handling for a claim to copyright, the Office strongly encourages applicants to complete an online application and upload an electronic copy of the work if the work is eligible for submission in an electronic format. When submitting the deposit in a hard copy format, the Office strongly encourages applicants to deliver the deposit copy(ies) in person to ensure they are received in a timely manner and to minimize the risk of damage. For guidance in determining whether a work is eligible for submission in electronic format, see Chapter 1500, Section 1507.2. For information concerning the procedures for delivering deposit copy(ies) in person, see Chapter 1500, Section 1508.5.
If the Office subsequently registers the work, the registration specialist may add an annotation to the certificate of registration and the online public record indicating that the work was registered on an expedited basis. But the specialist will add this annotation only in cases where the request for special handling was submitted after the application, deposit copy(ies), and filing fee were received. For information concerning this procedure, see Section 623.5(D).
By contrast, when the Office records a document on an expedited basis, the recordation specialist will not add an annotation to the certificate or the online public record for that document.
When submitting an application using the electronic registration system, the applicant may request special handling by completing the fields that appear on the Special Handling screen. The applicant should check the box marked Special Handling and provide a justification for the applicant's request by checking one or more of the boxes that appear under the heading Compelling Reason(s) (i.e., pending or prospective litigation; customs matters; contract or publishing deadlines).
The request for special handling must be certified by an author of the work, the claimant named in the application, an owner of one or more of the exclusive rights in the work, or a duly authorized agent of one of the aforementioned parties. The certifying party should check the box that reads, "I certify that I am the author, copyright claimant of exclusive rights, or the authorized agent of the author, copyright claimant of exclusive rights of this work." By checking this box, the certifying party confirms that the information provided in the request for special handling is correct to the best of his or her knowledge. There is no need to date the certification; the date will be added automatically when the application is received by the U.S. Copyright Office.
Additional comments or instructions that may be relevant to the request for special handling may be provided in the field marked Explanation for Special Handling, such as the applicant's preference for the delivery of the certificate of registration.
To request special handling in person, the requesting party should prepare a letter explaining why there is a compelling need for the expedited issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation. The letter must include one or more of the justifications listed in Section 623.2 (i.e., pending or prospective litigation; customs matters; contract or publishing deadlines). In addition, the party making the request must provide a signed statement certifying that the information contained in the letter is correct to the best of his or her knowledge.
The letter should be clearly labeled "Special Handling" and should be delivered to the Public Information Office together with the following items:
Special handling for copyright registration:
The appropriate deposit copy(ies), phonorecords, or identifying material for the claim to copyright.
The appropriate filing fee or deposit account number.
Special handling for copyright recordation:
The Public Information Office is located in Room LM-401 of the James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20559, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (except for federal holidays). Please be advised that visitors to the U.S. Copyright Office must pass through security before entering the building, and that sealed packages or packages that are more than twenty-four inches wide by fifteen inches high are not permitted.
For more information on visiting the Office, see Chapter 200, Section 204.1(B)(3).
623.5(C) Requests Delivered by Commercial Carrier, Courier, or by Mail
Although it is strongly discouraged, applicants may submit a request for special handling by mail, by courier, or by a commercial carrier, such as Federal Express or United Parcel Service.
The party making the request should prepare a letter containing the information set forth in Section 623.5(B). The letter should be sent to the U.S. Copyright Office together with the items listed in Section 623.5(B) in an envelope or package that is clearly labeled "Special Handling."
Items delivered by courier should be sent to the Congressional Courier Acceptance Site, which is located at 2nd and D Streets NE, Washington, DC. This location is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (except for federal holidays). Items delivered to this location are typically sent to the Office the next working day.
Items delivered by U.S. mail should be sent to the following address:
Special Handling
Copyright RAC Division
P.O. Box 71380
Washington, DC 20024-1380
A package containing a request for special handling must not exceed twelve inches by eighteen inches by four inches in size. Packages exceeding these dimensions should be delivered in person to the Public Information Office using the procedure described in
Section 623.5(B) or should be sent by U.S. mail or commercial carrier to the following address:
Special Handling
Department 100
Washington, DC 20540
IMPORTANT NOTE: If a courier attempts to deliver a package to one of the mailing addresses listed above, it may be rerouted to another location and may not be delivered to the Office for up to three months. See New Procedure for Courier Deliveries, 68 Fed. Reg. 70,039 (Dec. 16, 2003).
A request for special handling may be made at any time before the U.S. Copyright Office issues a certificate of registration or certificate of recordation. If an application or a document recordation request is already pending, the applicant or remitter may ask the U.S. Copyright Office to process the application or document on an expedited basis, provided that the requesting party pays the special handling fee and provided that there is a compelling reason for the request.
To request special handling for a pending application or a pending recordation request, the applicant or remitter should complete the form posted on the Office's website. Alternatively, the applicant or remitter may prepare a letter containing the information set forth in Section 623.5(B).
To facilitate the location of the application that is the subject of the request, it should include the following information:
To facilitate the location of the document that is the subject of the request, it should include the following information:
The title of the first work listed in the document.
The date the document was submitted to the Office.
The request should be sent to the Office in an envelope that is clearly labeled “Special Handling” together with the special handling fee and, if possible, with a photocopy of the application or a photocopy of the document. The envelope may be delivered in person to the Public Information Office using the procedure described in Section 623.5(B), or it may be delivered by U.S. mail, commercial carrier, or courier using the procedure described in Section 623.5(C).
In some cases, the applicant may be required to pay a search fee if the application or document cannot be located immediately. The fee for this service is set forth in the Office’s fee schedule under the heading “Retrieval of in-process or completed Copyright Office records or other Copyright Office material.”
To expedite a registration or recordation, the applicant or remitter must pay a special handling fee in addition to the filing fee for the application or the recordation fee for the document. These fees are set forth in the Office’s fee schedule under the heading “Special handling fee for a claim” and “Special handling fee for recordation of a document.” The special handling fee must be paid for each application and for each document for which expedited service is requested and granted.
Once a request for special handling has been granted, the special handling fee is not refundable, regardless of whether the Office issues a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation.
If the applicant requests special handling through the electronic registration system, the special handling fee may be paid with a credit card, a debit card, or an electronic transfer from a checking account, savings account, or a deposit account.
If the request is made in person at the Public Information Office, the special handling fee may be paid in cash, by credit card, by check, or it may be charged to a deposit account.
If the request is delivered by mail, commercial carrier, or courier, the special handling fee may be paid by check or it may be charged to a deposit account.
Checks must be made payable to the U.S. Copyright Office, they must be payable in U.S. dollars, they must be imprinted with an American Banking Association routing number, and they must be redeemable through a U.S. institution without a service charge or exchange fee. International money orders and foreign postal money orders that are negotiable only at a post office will not be accepted.
If the Office issues a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation, and if the payment for the special handling fee is returned or invalidated, the registration or recordation will be cancelled.
See Policy Decision: Revised Special Handling Procedures, 56 Fed. Reg. at 37,528 (August 7, 1991); Policy Decision Announcing Fee for Special Handling of Applications for Copyright Registration, 47 Fed. Reg. at 19,254 (May 4, 1982).
On occasion, an applicant will submit multiple applications together with a single deposit copy, and will ask the U.S. Copyright Office to process some — but less than all — of those applications on an expedited basis. In such cases, the Office will expedite the examination of the applications for which special handling has been requested, but will not expedite the examination of the other applications. The applicant must pay an additional fee, which will be added to the filing fee for each application and the special handling fee. The fee for this service is set forth in the Office’s fee schedule under the heading “Handling fee for each non-special-handling claim using the same deposit.”
Before processing each application the Office will ask the applicant to submit the additional fee (if it has not been paid). If the applicant prefers to avoid the additional fee, the applicant may submit a separate deposit copy for the applications that do not require special handling.
See Policy Decision: Revised Special Handling Procedures, 56 Fed. Reg. at 37,528 (August 7, 1991); Policy Decision Announcing an Increase in the Fee for Special Handling of Applications for Copyright Registration, 49 Fed. Reg. 39,741 (Oct. 10, 1984).
This Section discusses the procedures for certifying a Standard Application or a paper application, and the practices regarding the examination of the Certification field/space.
The person who signs a copyright application certifies that the information provided therein is correct to the best of his or her knowledge. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(iii). Knowingly making a false representation of a material fact in an application for copyright registration, or in any written statement filed in connection with the application, is a crime that is punishable under 17 U.S.C. § 506(e).
The applicant is the party who certifies the certification and submits the application to the U.S. Copyright Office. A Standard Application or a paper application may be certified by any of the following parties:
See 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(i); Streamlining the Single Application and Clarifying Eligibility Requirements, 83 Fed. Reg. 5227, 5229 (Feb. 6, 2018).
If the author owns all of the rights under the copyright on the date that the application is submitted, the author should be named in the application as the copyright claimant. In this situation, the application should be certified by the author or the author's duly authorized agent.
For further discussion of this issue, see Section 619.6 and Chapter 400, Section 405.
If a party owns all the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author and if the work has not been registered before, that party may be named in the application as the copyright claimant. In this situation, the application should be certified by that party or that party's duly authorized agent.
In the alternative, the author may be named as the copyright claimant and the application may be certified by the author or the author's duly authorized agent, even if the author has transferred all of the rights to another party, and even if the author does not own any of the rights at the time the application is filed.
For further discussion of this issue, see Sections 619.7 and 619.8, and Chapter 400, Sections 405 and 406.
If the author has assigned one or more — but less than all — of the rights in the work to another party, then the author should be named as the copyright claimant. In this situation, the application may be certified by the author, the transferee, or their respective agents.
If the author assigned all of his or her rights under copyright to a third party and that transferee, in turn, assigned some — but not all — of those rights to an exclusive licensee, the author should be named as the copyright claimant. However, the author, the transferee, the exclusive licensee, or their respective agents may certify and submit an application to register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office.
For further discussion of this issue, see Section 619.7 and 619.9 and Chapter 400, Sections 405 and 407.
See Registration of Copyright: Definition of Claimant, 77 Fed. Reg. 29,257, 29,259 (May 17, 2012).
When completing an online application, the applicant will be asked to certify the application on the Certification screen. Specifically, the applicant should provide the first and last name of the individual who is certifying the application in the space marked 'Name of Certifying Individual' and should check the box that reads 'I certify that I am the author, copyright claimant, or owner of exclusive rights, or the authorized agent of the author, copyright claimant, or owner of exclusive rights of this work and that the information given in this application is correct to the best of my knowledge.' 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(ii). There is no need to date the certification in an online application; the date will be added automatically when the application is received by the U.S. Copyright Office. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(iv).
If the certification box has not been checked, or if a name is not provided in the field marked 'Name of Certifying Individual,' the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
For guidance concerning the Note to Copyright Office field on the Certification screen, see Section 605.2(A).
A paper application should be signed and dated on space 8 of the application under the heading Signature. The applicant may provide a handwritten, typed, or printed signature in this space. If the signature is handwritten, the first and last name of the person who certified the application should be typed or printed on the space marked Typed or Printed Name and Date. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(ii).
If the signature is illegible the registration specialist will add an annotation to the registration record, such as: “Regarding certification: Image of signature on file in Copyright Office.”
The person who certifies the application should check one of the boxes on the application indicating whether he or she is an author of the work, the claimant specified in the application, an owner of one or more exclusive rights in the work, or a duly authorized agent of one of the foregoing persons. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(i). Ordinarily, an application will be accepted if two or more of the boxes in space 8 have been checked unless there is reason to question the application.
If the application has not been certified, the specialist generally will communicate with the applicant, even if a signature appears in a cover letter or elsewhere in the registration materials. If the applicant or the applicant’s authorized agent confirms that the information in the application is correct, the specialist will add that party’s name to the Certification space and will provide the date of the communication as the date of certification. In addition, the specialist will add a note to the registration record indicating that there is correspondence in the file.
As a general rule, the registration specialist will assume that the certification was signed by an authorized individual, unless there is evidence to the contrary in the registration materials.
When completing an online application, the individual who certifies the application should provide his or her first and last name.
When completing a paper application, the individual who certifies the application should provide a handwritten, printed, or typed signature containing his or her first and last name. The U.S. Copyright Office will accept a photocopy of a handwritten signature, a stamped signature, or a signature provided on a preprinted label. Likewise, the Office will accept a handwritten signature consisting solely of initials or a monogram if it is accompanied by the typed or printed name of the person who certified the application.
If the work described in the application is a pseudonymous work, the author may sign the application using his or her pseudonym, provided that the name is clearly identified as a pseudonym in the registration materials. For a detailed discussion of pseudonymous works, see Section 615.2.
The application must be certified by an individual. A certification that merely recites the name of a business, company, partnership, or other legal entity is unacceptable. The registration specialist will accept a certification that includes the name of the individual who certified the application, along with the name of that person's employer or the business or organization that he or she represents.
Examples:
and that the applicant should provide the first and last name of the certifying individual. The specialist will add this name to the registration record, and will add a note indicating that there is correspondence in the file.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should specify the month, day, and year that the application was certified. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(iv). The date of the certification may be the same as the date that the application is received in the U.S. Copyright Office, but it cannot be later than the date of receipt or earlier than the date of publication specified in the application. If the date specified in the Certification space is later than the date that the application was received, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant. Likewise, if the date of publication specified in space 3(b) of the application is later than the date of the certification, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to confirm that the date of publication is correct. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(3)(v).
Examples:
When the U.S. Copyright Office completes its examination and “determines that . . . the material deposited constitutes copyrightable subject matter and that the other legal and formal requirements of [title 17] have been met,” the Office will “register the claim and issue to the applicant a certificate of registration.” 17 U.S.C. § 410(a). In addition, it will create an online public record for the registration, which may be accessed through the Office’s website.
The certificate and the online public record will include the registration number that has been assigned to the claim. The certificate may also contain a “registration decision date.” This date appears on certificates issued on or after August 19, 2019, but it does not appear in the online public record for such claims.
The registration decision date is the date that “registration of the copyright claim has been made in accordance with [title 17].” 17 U.S.C. § 411(a). In other words, it is the date that the Office completed its examination and determined that the “application, deposit, and fee” are “acceptable for registration.” 17 U.S.C. § 410(d); Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, 139 S. Ct. 881, 892 (2019) (“[W]e conclude that ‘registration . . . has been made’ within the meaning of 17 U.S.C. § 411(a) . . . when the Register has registered a copyright after examining a properly filed application.”).
In addition, the Office will assign an “effective date of registration” (“EDR”) to the claim. This date appears on certificates issued on or after January 1, 1978 and in the online public record for such claims.
The EDR is the date that “an application, deposit, and fee, which [were] later determined by the Register of Copyrights . . . to be acceptable for registration, have all been received in the Copyright Office.” 17 U.S.C. § 410(d). “Where the three necessary elements are received at different times the date of receipt of the last of them is controlling, regardless of when the Copyright Office acts on the claim.” H.R. REP. NO. 94-1476, at 157 (1976), reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5659, 5773.
If the Office “determines that . . . the material deposited does not constitute copyrightable subject matter or that the claim is invalid for any other reason,” the Office “shall refuse registration and shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons for such refusal.” 17 U.S.C. § 410(b). The date of the refusal will appear on the refusal letter.
“[I]f a court later determines that a refused claim was registrable, the ‘effective date of [the work’s] copyright registration is the day on which’ the copyright owner made a proper submission to the Copyright Office.” Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp., 139 S. Ct. at 889 (quoting 17 U.S.C. § 410(d)). Specifically, the EDR is “the day on which an application, deposit, and fee, which [were] later determined . . . by a court of competent jurisdiction to be acceptable for registration, have all been received in the Copyright Office.” 17 U.S.C. § 410(d).
Thus, Section 410(d) “not only takes account of the inevitable timelag between receipt of the application and other material and the issuance of the certificate, but it also recognizes the possibility that a court might later find the Register wrong in refusing registration.” H.R. REP. NO. 94-1476, at 157, reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. at 5773.
To establish an effective date of registration, the U.S. Copyright Office must receive an appropriate application that includes the information required by that particular form. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(c)(2).
If it appears that the applicant submitted the wrong form, completed the form incorrectly, or attempted to register multiple works with the same form, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant or may refuse registration.
If the applicant made a reasonable, good faith effort to complete the relevant fields/spaces in the application and if the claim is approved, the effective date of registration will be the date that the Office received the application, provided that the applicant satisfied the minimum requirements for an acceptable, complete deposit copy, and paid the applicable filing fee as of that date, and provided there have been no material changes in the facts stated in the application since that date.
Examples:
name, No More Weight, Ltd., to the specialist in a telephone conversation on October 10, 2007, and confirms that the claimant owned all of the rights in this work on June 1, 2007. The specialist will add the claimant’s name to the registration record and will make a note in the correspondence record identifying the source of this information. The work will be registered with an effective date of registration of June 1, 2007.
If Moonbounce owned all of the rights in this work as of August 31st, the applicant may remove Moonshine’s name from the application and replace it with “Moonbounce LLC.” Alternatively, the applicant may remove Moonshine’s name from the application and name “Mimi Cameron” as the claimant. In both cases, the work would be registered with an effective date of registration of August 31, 2007.
If Moonbounce acquired all of the rights in this work after August 31, 2007, the applicant may remove Moonshine’s name from the application and replace it with “Moonbounce LLC.” In this situation, the effective date of registration would be based on the date that Moonbounce acquired ownership of the work.
To establish an effective date of registration, the U.S. Copyright Office must receive deposit copy(ies) containing the entire copyrightable content of the work described in the application.
The registration specialist may communicate with the applicant or may refuse registration if it appears that the applicant failed to submit the appropriate number of copies or phonorecords, failed to submit the entire copyrightable content of the work (or appropriate identifying material, where permitted), failed to submit the work in an acceptable file format (in the case of an electronic submission), or if the specialist is otherwise unable to access, view, or examine the deposit.
If the work is approved for registration, the effective date of registration will be the date that the Office received the entire copyrightable content of the work in a form that can be accessed, viewed, and examined.
If the applicant uploads a deposit copy(ies) using any of the acceptable file formats listed on the U.S. Copyright Office's website, the effective date of registration will be the date that the Office received the deposit copy(ies), provided that the file can be opened and provided that the applicant satisfied the minimum requirements for an acceptable application and paid the applicable filing fee as of that date.
If the applicant uploads the deposit copy(ies) in a file format that is not listed in the regulations or on the U.S. Copyright Office's website, the registration specialist will refuse registration.
If the applicant submits the deposit copy(ies) in a file format that is listed on the U.S. Copyright Office's website, and if the registration specialist is unable to access, view, or examine the deposit copy(ies) because the file appears to be corrupted, the specialist will ask the applicant to submit another copy or phonorecord of the work.
If the applicant resubmits the deposit copy(ies) in one of the file formats listed on the Office's website, the effective date of registration generally will be based on the date that the Office received an acceptable copy, although the Office may assign a different date at its discretion (e.g., the date of the original submission).
When submitting an online application, the applicant may upload the deposit copy(ies) through the U.S. Copyright Office's electronic registration system, provided the work is not subject to best edition requirements and provided that the work meets one or more of the requirements set forth in Chapter 1500, Section 1507.2. For a discussion of the best edition requirements, see Chapter 1500, Section 1504.
When required to submit physical deposit copy(ies), the applicant may submit the deposit copy(ies) by mail, commercial carrier (such as Federal Express or United Parcel
Service), courier, or hand delivery to the Public Information Office. When submitting the deposit copy(ies) using one of these methods, the applicant must attach a shipping slip to the deposit copy(ies) to ensure that they will be paired with the online application. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(2)(i)(D).
To create a shipping slip the applicant must click the Create Shipping Slip button at the bottom of the Case Summary screen, then click the shipping slip link that appears in the Send By Mail field. The applicant must print a copy of the shipping slip and attach it to each of the deposit copy(ies).
The effective date of registration for claims submitted by mail, commercial carrier, courier, or hand delivery will be determined based on the date that the Office receives the deposit copy(ies) together with the corresponding shipping slip. Failure to attach the shipping slip to each deposit copy(ies) will prevent the copy(ies) from being paired with the online application and may require the applicant to resubmit the deposit copy(ies) to the Office, which in turn, will delay the effective date of registration.
For additional information concerning this procedure, see Chapter 1500, Section 1508.2.
To establish an effective date of registration the U.S. Copyright Office must receive the full, applicable filing fee. To determine the correct filing fee, see the fee schedule on the Office's website.
If the claim is approved, the effective date of registration will be the date that the Office received the correct filing fee, provided that the applicant satisfied the minimum requirements for an acceptable application and deposit copy(ies) as of that date.
A filing fee may be paid with a credit card, a debit card, an electronic transfer from a checking or savings account, or with a check, bank draft, or money order made payable to the U.S. Copyright Office. The Office also maintains a system of deposit accounts for parties who frequently conduct business with the Office. Persons or entities that maintain a deposit account may deposit funds into the account and charge fees against that balance instead of sending a separate payment with each application or other request for services. See 37 C.F.R. § 201.6(b). For a discussion of deposit accounts, see Chapter 1400, Section 1412.5.
Checks or money orders from a foreign country must be payable in U.S. dollars, they must be redeemable through a U.S. institution, they must be imprinted with an American Banking Association routing number, and they must be redeemable for the full amount of the fee required without a service or exchange fee. 37 C.F.R. § 201.6(a). Postal money orders and international money orders that are negotiable only at a post office are not acceptable.
The Office cannot assign an effective date of registration if the applicant submits an unacceptable form of payment, such as uncollectible payments submitted through www.pay.gov, dishonored ACH fees, uncollectible checks, unsigned checks, postdated checks, mutilated checks, illegible checks, fees made payable in a foreign currency, postage stamps, or the like.
If the applicant fails to submit the correct filing fee or if there are insufficient funds in a deposit account when an application is received, the U.S. Copyright Office's Receipt Analysis and Control Division ('RAC') will notify the applicant or account holder in writing.
If the correct filing fee is submitted within forty-five days after the date set forth in the notice from RAC, the effective date of registration will be changed to reflect the date that the funds were received, provided that the applicant satisfied the minimum requirements for an acceptable application and deposit copy(ies) as of that date. If the Office does not receive a response within forty-five days after the date set forth in the notice from RAC, the file will be closed.
If an applicant submits funds or has funds in a deposit account that are sufficient to cover the filing fee for one or more, but not all, of the applications that are submitted for registration, the Office will not communicate with the applicant to determine which application should be processed first. RAC will apply the filing fees to the applications in no particular order until the funds have been exhausted and will forward those applications to the Registration Program for examination.
The fee for processing an application on an expedited basis is separate from the filing fee, and the date that the special handling fee is received in the U.S. Copyright Office does not affect the effective date of registration. If the applicant submits an application together with the appropriate deposit copy(ies) and filing fee, and subsequently asks the Office to process that application on an expedited basis, the effective date of registration will be the date that the Office received an acceptable application, deposit copy(ies), and filing fee, rather than the date that the special handling fee was received.
For a discussion of special handling, see Section 623.
The fact that an applicant satisfied the minimum requirements for establishing an effective date of registration does not necessarily mean that the work will be registered. The U.S. Copyright Office will not register a claim or issue a certificate of registration until the registration specialist has determined that the material deposited constitutes copyrightable subject matter and the other legal and formal requirements for registration have been met. 17 U.S.C. § 410(a).