Additional information, including the ISSN application form, is available on the ISSN Publisher Liaison Section’s webpage at www.loc.gov/issn/.
713 Book Jackets
Book jackets often contain several types of authorship that is separate from the book itself, such as text, illustrations, and photographs. If text is the predominant form of authorship in the jacket, the work may be registered as a nondramatic literary work. If the predominant form of authorship consists of artwork, illustrations, or photographs, the jacket may be registered as a work of the visual arts. See 37 C.F.R § 202.3(b)(1)(i), (iii).
When asserting a claim in a book jacket, the applicant should clearly indicate that the claim extends to the copyrightable material that appears on the jacket. Specifically, the claim should be limited to the text, artwork, and/or photographs that appear on the jacket, the applicant should provide the name of the author who created that material, and the applicant should provide the name of the claimant who owns the copyright in that material. The Literary Division may accept a claim in “text” if the jacket contains a sufficient amount of written expression, or a claim in “artwork” and/or “photograph(s)” if the jacket contains a sufficient amount of pictorial or graphic expression. When completing an online application, this information should be provided in the Author Created field, and if applicable, also in the New Material Included field. When completing a paper application on Form TX, this information should be provided in space 2, and if applicable, also in space 6(b). For guidance on completing these portions of the application, see Chapter 600, Sections 618.4 and 621.8.
If the claim in the book jacket is based solely on the title of the work or the arrangement, spacing, juxtaposition, and layout of copyrightable or uncopyrightable elements, the registration specialist may communicate with the applicant or may refuse to register the claim. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.1(a); Section 707.3; Chapter 300, Section 313.3(E).
A book and a book jacket may be submitted for registration with the same application if the copyright in both elements is owned by the same claimant. In the alternative, the applicant may submit separate applications for the book and the jacket. If the applicant submits a separate application for a jacket that has been published, the Office will retain the jacket “for the longest period considered practicable and desirable by the Register of Copyrights and the Librarian of Congress.” 17 U.S.C. § 704(d). If the applicant submits an application to register a book that has been published but does not assert a separate claim in the jacket, the Library of Congress may add the book to its collection, but the jacket will be discarded. For a discussion of the deposit requirements for book jackets, see Chapter 1500, Section 1509.1(A).
714 Games
A game may be registered as a literary work if the predominant form of authorship in the work consists of text. Examples of works that may satisfy this requirement include word games, card games, party games, riddles, brain teasers, and similar diversions, including the instructions or directions for playing a particular game. A game may be registered as a work of the visual arts if the predominant form of authorship consists of pictorial or sculptural authorship. Examples of works that may satisfy this requirement
