special relief and examples of other works that may be registered with identifying material, see Chapter 1500, Sections 1506 and 1508.8.
504.3 Multiple Versions of the Same Work
A registration only covers the specific version of the work that is submitted for registration. The U.S. Copyright Office does not offer so-called “blanket registrations” that cover prior versions or derivative versions of the same work. For example, a registration for a published website covers the text, photographs, or other copyrightable content that appeared on that website on the date(s) claimed in the application and specified in the deposit copy(ies), but it does not cover any future version of that website. Similarly, a registration for version 1.30 of a computer program does not cover version 1.20 or any previously published or previously registered content that appears in the later version of that program. For the same reason, a registration for a comic book that depicts or describes a particular character covers the expression set forth in that issue, but it does not cover the character per se or any other issue or other work that features the same character.
For additional guidance in registering multiple versions of the same work, see Section 512.
505 Joint Works
This Section provides the definition and a general discussion concerning joint works. For specific guidance in preparing an application to register a joint work, see Chapter 600, Sections 613.5 and 620.5.
505.1 What Is a Joint Work?
The Copyright Act defines a joint work as 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.
A work of authorship is considered a joint work “if the authors collaborated with each other, or if each of the authors prepared his or her contribution with the knowledge and intention that it would be merged with the contributions of other authors as ‘inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.’” H.R. Rep. No. 94-1476, at 120, reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5659, 5736; S. Rep. No. 94-473, at 103–04. The key requirement “is the intention, at the time the writing is done, that the parts be absorbed or combined into an integrated unit.” H.R. Rep. No. 94-1476, at 120, reprinted in 1976 U.S.C.C.A.N. at 5736.
A contribution to a joint work is considered “inseparable” if the work contains a single form of authorship, such as a novel or painting, and it is considered “interdependent” if the work contains multiple forms of authorship, such as motion picture, opera, or the music and lyrics of a song. Id.; S. Rep. No. 94-473, at 103–04.
