Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition
by the deposit copy(ies). If so, the registration specialist may add an annotation to clarify the scope of the claim.
Examples:
- An online application is submitted for a musical work. In the Author Created field the applicant asserts a claim in “music” and “lyrics.” The work contains some new lyrics and some text taken from the King James Bible, but the Limitation of Claim screen is blank Because the Biblical text is clearly in the public domain, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding material excluded: copy contains some Biblical text.”
- An online application is submitted for an anthology of short stories by the same author. In the Author Created field the applicant asserts a claim in “text.” The deposit copy states that two of the stories were previously published in the New Yorker, but the Limitation of Claim screen is blank. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding material excluded: statement on deposit copy indicates some text previously published.”
- An online application is submitted for an article. In the Author Created field the applicant asserts a claim in “text.” The work contains extensive quotes taken from various sources, but the Limitation of Claim screen is blank. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding limitation of claim: copy containing text includes preexisting quotations from a variety of sources.”
- An online application is submitted for a travel guide. In the Author Created field, the applicant asserts a claim in “photographs” and “text.” The captions for two of the photographs state “photo by Susan Trainer, used with permission,” but the Limitation of Claim screen is blank. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding material excluded: statement on copy indicates some photographs used with permission.”
621.9(E) Uncopyrightable Material Claimed in the New Material Included Field or Space 6(b)
The authorship that is claimed in the New Material Included field or space 6(b) must be copyrightable. If the applicant asserts a claim in uncopyrightable material, and if the claim appears to be limited to that material, the U.S. Copyright Office will refuse to register the claim.
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12/22/2014
