If the work is expected to be published as a pseudonymous work, the applicant may provide the author's real name or the author's pseudonym (or both]. A work is considered to be a pseudonymous work if the author will be identified on copies or phonorecords of the work under a fictitious name and the author's real name will not appear anywhere on the copies or phonorecords. If the author's real name is expected to appear anywhere on the copies or phonorecords, the work is not considered a pseudonymous work, even if the author does not wish to reveal his or her identity in the preregistration record and even if the author is generally known by his or her pseudonym. In this situation the author's real name should be provided in the application. For a detailed discussion of pseudonymous works, see Chapter 600, Section 615.2.
1606.5 Copyright Claimant
The applicant should provide the full legal name and address of the copyright claimant on the Claimants screen. For the purposes of preregistration, the claimant is the person or organization who is expected to be named as a claimant when (and if) the applicant submits an application to register the work.
For purposes of registration, the claimant is either the author of the work or a person or organization that has obtained ownership of all rights under the copyright that initially belonged to the author. 37 C.F.R. § 202.3(a)(3). No other person or organization is entitled to be named as a claimant in an application for copyright registration.
If the author is not the same person or organization as the claimant, the applicant need not provide a transfer statement explaining how the claimant obtained ownership of all rights under the copyright that initially belonged to the author (although this information is required in an application for registration).
For a detailed discussion of claimants and transfers, see Chapter 600, Sections 619 and 620.
1606.6 Key Dates
The applicant should identify the date that the author started to create the work, the date that the work is expected to be completed, and the date that the commercial distribution of the work is expected to begin. This information should be provided in the boxes that appear on the Key Dates screen.
1606.6(A) Date of Creation
The applicant should identify the date that the author started to create the work. Specifically, the applicant should provide the month and year that the work was first fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Identifying the specific day that the first fixation occurred is encouraged, but not required. If the applicant cannot identify the exact date of creation, the applicant should provide a good faith estimate and check the box marked "Approximate."
The criteria for establishing the date of creation vary depending upon the nature of the work:
Chapter 1600 : 13
12/22/2014
