authorship, but not in the “canvas,” “compact disc,” “digital music file,” or other medium that the author used to create the work.
| Type of Work | Medium of Expression | Original Authorship |
|---|---|---|
| Short story | Paper, digital file, etc. | Text that qualifies as a literary work |
| Acrylic painting | Canvas | 2-D Artwork |
| Song containing music and lyrics | Sheet music, compact disc, digital music file, etc. | Music and lyrics |
| Recording of a song | Compact disc, digital music file, etc. | Sound recording |
| Home video | DVD, digital video file, etc. | Motion picture |
503.1(E) Copyrightable Authorship
When completing an application, the applicant should identify the copyrightable authorship that the author contributed to the work, but should not assert a claim in any aspect of the work that is not protected by copyright. For more information on what constitutes uncopyrightable authorship, see Chapter 300, Section 313.
The following chart provides representative examples of various types of works and the copyrightable authorship they typically contain, as distinguished from the uncopyrightable material that may appear in the work. In these examples, the Office may register a claim to copyright in the “text,” “photographs,” “artwork,” or other forms of copyrightable authorship that the author contributed to the work, but not the “facts,” “listing of ingredients,” “process,” “method,” “name,” “typeface,” “typographic ornamentation,” or other uncopyrightable material.
| Type of Work | Copyrightable Authorship | Uncopyrightable Material |
|---|---|---|
| Newspaper | Text, photographs, illustrations | Facts |
| Cookbook | Text, artwork, photographs | Listings of ingredients; ideas, procedures, processes, or methods for cooking |
| Computer program | Source code, screen displays of pictorial or audiovisual authorship | Ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation, concepts, principles, or discoveries |
