• The work has been published and identifying material is permitted or required in lieu of a hard copy of the best edition.
• The applicant is using the group registration option for serials and is using an online application to register the works.
• The applicant is submitting a group of photographs under the pilot program for the group registration of published photographs or the group registration of databases that consist predominantly of photographs.
• The Office agrees to accept electronic copies or phonorecords under a grant of special relief.
For all other classes of works, applicants must submit the deposit in hard copy format (even if the application and filing fee are submitted through the electronic registration system).
1508 How to Submit a Registration Deposit
The applicant should submit registration deposit copy(ies) at the same time that the application and filing fee are submitted. Depending on the type of application and the deposit requirements for the work, the deposit copy(ies) may be submitted electronically or in hard copy format. These options are discussed in Sections 1508.1and 1508.2. For information concerning the difference between an electronic copy and a hard copy, see Sections 1507.1 and 1507.2.
NOTE: To examine a work for copyrightable authorship, the U.S. Copyright Office's Registration Program must be able to view or listen to the deposit material without the need to enter a password. Therefore, a deposit copy or phonorecord should not contain digital rights management controls or otherwise require a password to unlock the copyrighted material, regardless of whether it is uploaded in electronic format or submitted in a hard copy [i.e., physically tangible) format. Additionally, deposit copies and phonorecords must not contain any built-in limitations on the period of use.
1508.1 Electronic Deposit Copy(ies)
When completing an online application, the applicant may submit deposit copy(ies), phonorecords, or identifying material in an electronic format, provided that the work satisfies the requirements set forth in Section 1507.2. If work does not satisfy these requirements, the applicant must submit the deposit copy(ies) in a hard copy format.
If the applicant submits a work that is not eligible for submission in electronic format, a member of the Registration Program may communicate with the applicant to request a proper deposit. This process will delay the examination of the application and may change the effective date of registration.
The preferred methods for submitting the deposit in electronic format, in order of preference, are as follows:
Chapter 1500 : 14
12/22/2014
