his or her pseudonym. The applicant also 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 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.
A pseudonym must be a name. The U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a number or symbol as a pseudonym.
For a detailed discussion of pseudonymous works, see Section 615.2.
619.13(D) Identifying the Author of an Anonymous Work as the Copyright Claimant
If the author and the copyright claimant are the same individual, the applicant should provide the author’s legal name in the Name of Claimant field/space, even if the applicant checks the box indicating that this is an “anonymous” work.
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 Author field/space and may provide a pseudonym in the Name of Claimant field/space.
If the applicant states “anonymous” in the Name of Claimant field/space, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant unless the applicant provides the name of an actual person in the Rights and Permissions field.
Examples:
- An online application is submitted for the children’s book The Aaron Spates Museum by Anonymous. The applicant has checked the box indicating that this is an anonymous work and the Name of Author field has been left blank. The Name of Claimant identifies the claimant as “Natalie Whitcomb;” that name also appears in the Rights and Permissions field; no transfer statement has been provided. The application will be accepted, because it appears that the anonymous author either provided her legal name or her pseudonym in the Name of Claimant field.
- An online application is submitted for a comedy sketch The Errant Space Museum by Anonymous. The applicant checked the box indicating that this is an anonymous work and stated “Anonymous” in the Name of Author and Name of Claimant fields. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant and will explain that
