- One screenplay co-written by two individuals.
- One song containing music written by one individual and lyrics written by another individual.
- One sound recording performed by a group of performers.
- One comic book containing text written by one individual and illustrations drawn by another individual.
Likewise, the applicant should check the “no” box if the work was created by or on behalf of a company, an organization, or any other legal entity or if the work was created as a work made for hire. (For a definition and discussion of works made for hire, see Chapter 500, Section 506.)
The following are representative examples of works that do not qualify as a work created by an individual author:
- One piece of jewelry created by Phoebe Snow Designs, Inc.
- One photograph taken by an employee of Sue Saint Marie Studios.
- One song composed by Chessie Katz for Smooth Ride Music, LLC.
- One motion picture created by the employees of a motion picture studio.
The applicant should check the box marked “no” if the copyright or any of the exclusive rights in the work are owned or co-owned by two or more individuals. The applicant should check “no” if the copyright is owned by a company, an organization, or other legal entity. Likewise, the applicant should check “no” if the author transferred the copyright or any of the exclusive rights to a third party, either by written agreement or by operation of law. (For a discussion of copyright ownership and transfers, see Sections 619 and 620.)
The following are representative examples of works owned or co-owned by more than one party or works that are not solely owned by the author:
- One song containing music written by one individual and lyrics written by another individual.
- One sound recording co-owned by the artists and musicians who performed the work.
- One stage play co-owned by the composer and the librettist of the work.
- One song written by a composer who transferred the copyright to his music publishing company.
