727.3(B) Year of Completion
The applicant should identify the year that the author completed the specific version of the database that is submitted for registration (even if other versions exist and even if the author intends to update or revise the database in the future).
For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Chapter 600, Section 611.
727.3(C) Date of Publication / Nation of Publication / Author's Citizenship or Domicile
If the version that the applicant intends to register has been published as of the date that the application is filed with the U.S. Copyright Office, the applicant should provide the month, day, and year that the version being registered was published for the first time. As a general rule, the applicant should provide a date of first publication only for the specific version that is being submitted for registration. The applicant should not provide a date of publication for the first version of the database or any other version of the database that is not included with the application.
In addition, the applicant should identify the nation where the database was first published and the author's country of citizenship or domicile. The Office will use this information to determine whether the database is eligible for copyright protection in the United States. For a definition and discussion of the nation of first publication, see Chapter 600, Section 612.5. For a definition and discussion of the author's citizenship and domicile, see Chapter 600, Section 617.
727.3(D) Asserting a Claim to Copyright in a Database
In all cases, the applicant should identify the copyrightable authorship that the applicant intends to register, and the applicant should assert a claim to copyright in that material. When completing an online application, this information should be provided in the Author Created field. When completing a paper application, this information should be provided in space 2 under the heading marked Nature of Authorship. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Chapter 600, Sections 618.4.
If the applicant intends to register the authorship involved in selecting, coordinating, and/or arranging the material that appears in the database, the applicant may use any of the terms listed below, provided that they accurately describe the copyrightable authorship that appears in the deposit copy(ies). In most cases, the Office will accept combinations or variant forms of these terms, unless they are contradicted by information provided in the deposit copy(ies] or elsewhere in the registration materials.
• Compilation of data
• Compilation of database information
• Compilation of photographs
• Compilation of artwork
Chapter 700 : 63
12/22/2014
