- a legal name or a pseudonym should be provided in the Name of Claimant field.
For a detailed discussion of anonymous works, see Section 615.1.
619.13(E) Two or More Names Provided in the Name of Claimant Field / Space
If the copyright is owned by two or more co-claimants, the applicant should provide the name and address for each claimant.
When completing an online application, the applicant should enter the name of one claimant in the appropriate fields and then repeat this process for the other claimant(s).
When completing a paper application, the applicant should provide the name of each claimant on space 4 of the application or on a continuation sheet if additional space is required. The name of each claimant should be separated from each other with the word “and” or by listing each name on a separate line.
If the applicant provides more than one name in the Name of Claimant field/space, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the identity or number of the claimants or co-claimants is unclear.
619.13(E)(1) Applications Submitted on Behalf of the Copyright Claimant
As a general rule, the registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if the Name of Claimant field/space states that one party is asserting a copyright claim on behalf of another party.
Example:
- Roberta Timmons submits a paper application on Form VA to register a sculpture. Roberta is named as the author and the Name of Claimant space reads “Robinson Cruz, LLC on behalf of Roberta Timmons.” The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant, because it is unclear whether Robinson Cruz, LLC is the copyright claimant or a duly authorized agent who is submitting the copyright claim for Roberta.
619.13(E)(2) Two or More Names Separated by Conjunctions or Punctuations Marks in a Paper Application
If the copyright is owned by two or more claimants, the applicant should use “and” between the claimants’ names in a paper application, rather than “or” and rather than “and/or.” The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant if two or more names are provided in the Name of Claimant space together with the conjunction “or” (e.g., “John Smith or Jane Doe) or “and/or” (e.g., “John Smith and/or Jane Doe”).
