COMPENDIUM: Chapter 1100
Registration for Multiple Works
1101 What This Chapter Covers
As a general rule, a registration covers an individual work, and an applicant should prepare a separate application, filing fee, and deposit for each work that is submitted for registration. However, there are several exceptions to this rule, including:
• The option for registering a number of works as an unpublished collection. This option is discussed in Sections 1102 and 1106 below.
• The option for registering a number of works that were published in a single unit of publication. This option is discussed in Sections 1103 and 1107 below.
• The options for registering a group of related works under Section 408(c)(1) of the Copyright Act, as discussed in Section 1104 and Sections 1109 through 1117 below. At present, the U.S. Copyright Office offers group registration options for the following types of works:
- Serials.
- Daily newspapers.
- Daily newsletters.
- Contributions to periodicals.
- Published photographs.
- Database updates and revisions.
1102 Registration as a Single Work: The Unpublished Collection Option
The U.S. Copyright Office has established an administrative procedure that allows
an applicant to register a number of unpublished works with one application, one filing
fee, and one set of deposit copies. This is known as the "unpublished collection" option.
A registration issued under this option covers each work that is submitted for registration. It may also cover the compilation authorship (if any) involved in selecting the works and assembling them into a collective whole, provided that the applicant expressly claims that authorship in the application. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(b)(4)(i)(B). When no selection, coordination, or arrangement is claimed, the Office considers each work to be individually registered for purposes of statutory damages.
For additional information concerning this option, see Section 1106.
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12/22/2014
