When screen displays are specifically claimed in the application for registration, the applicant must submit the appropriate identifying material for the screen displays together with the identifying material for the program code. The applicant may submit a visual reproduction of the screen displays, such as printouts, photographs, or drawings, provided that the reproductions are no smaller than three by three inches and no larger than nine by twelve inches. 37 C.F.R. § 202.20(c)(2)(vii)(C)(l). Alternatively, the applicant may submit a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and/or a user manual for the computer program, provided that it contains legible reproductions of the screen displays. (In this respect, the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition supersedes the Office's policy statement concerning the registration and deposit of screen displays. See 54 Fed. Reg. 13,173, 13,177 (Mar. 31, 1989).)
If the screen displays primarily contain audiovisual material, the applicant should submit that material on a % inch VHS format videotape or request special relief. However, if the screen displays simply demonstrate the functions of the computer program, the applicant should submit printouts, photographs, or drawings that meet the size requirements discussed above. 37 C.F.R. § 202.20(c)(2)(vii)(C)(2).
NOTE: If the applicant is unable to submit identifying material using any of these options, the applicant may ask for special relief from the deposit requirements. For information concerning this procedure, see Section 1508.8. In the alternative, the applicant may submit two complete copies of the work as published.
1509.1(C)(8) User Manuals and Other Documentation for a Computer Program
User manuals, instructional booklets, flowcharts, and other documentation that explain the development or operation of a computer program may be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, provided that they contain a sufficient amount of original copyrightable authorship. See Chapter 700, Section 721.11.
If a user manual or other documentation is published together with a computer program as a single unit, and if all of the copyrightable expression is owned by the same claimant, the program and the documentation may be registered with one application and one filing fee. See 37 C.F.R. § 2 02. 3 (b)(4)(f) (A). By contrast, if the user manual or other documentation is published separately from the computer program or if they are owned by different claimants, each element is considered a separate work and a separate application for each element is required.
To register a computer program together with the user manual or other documentation for that program, the applicant should submit identifying portions of the program code along with one complete copy of the manual or other documentation. (The deposit requirements for computer programs are discussed in Sections 1509.1(C)(1) through 1509.1(C)(6) above.)
To register a user manual or other documentation without asserting a claim in the computer program, the applicant should submit two complete copies of the user manual or other documentation (if the work has been published) or one complete copy of the user manual or other documentation (if the work is unpublished).
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