Although the Office will record a redacted document, the Office does not intend to suggest that it is appropriate to redact large portions of a transfer or other document pertaining to copyright. Remitters should redact only those portions of a document that contain sensitive information, such as financial terms. Excessive redactions limit the benefits of constructive notice, because this presumption only applies to the "facts stated in the recorded documents." 17 U.S.C. § 205(c).
NOTE: The Office may adopt final regulations that may alter the interim practice described in this Section. See Recordation of Documents, 70 Fed. Reg. 44,049, 44,051 (Aug. 1, 2005).
2309.10 Signature Requirements
To be recordable, a transfer of copyright ownership or other document pertaining to copyright must be signed by the person who executed the document. A photocopy or other reproduction of a signed document may be recorded, provided that the document is submitted with a sworn certification or an official certification confirming that the reproduction is a true copy of the signed original.
These requirements are discussed in Sections 2309.10(A) through 2309.10(E) below.
2309.10(A) Actual Signatures
The signature that appears on the document should be the actual signature of an individual person and the signature should contain that individual's own name.
If an individual executed the document on behalf of another person or organization, the signature should contain that individual's own name as well as the name of the party that he or she represents [e.g., "Robert Penn on behalf of Cursive Enterprises, LLC").
The following are representative examples of signatures that satisfy these requirements:
• A handwritten signature.
• A hand-printed signature.
A handwritten or hand-printed signature does not need to be legible. A signature does not need to include the full name of the individual that signed the document, provided that his or her name is sufficiently identified elsewhere in the document. Likewise, the Office may accept a signature consisting of an individual's mark if it is accompanied by another individual's signature attesting to the authenticity of that mark.
The following are representative examples of signatures that may be questioned:
• A printed signature.
• A typewritten signature.
• A rubber-stamped signature.
Chapter 2300 : 27
12/22/2014
