1114.4 (C) Special Relief from the Deposit Requirements
The U.S. Copyright Office recognizes that there may be cases where a photographer may not have a digital copy of his or her photos or may find it difficult to create a digital copy for purposes of seeking a group registration. If a photographer is unable to submit his or her photos in a digital format, the applicant may request special relief from the deposit requirements.
A request for special relief must be made in writing, and it should explain why the photographer is unable to submit digital files that satisfy the deposit requirements described in Section 1114.4 (A). The Office may grant a request for special relief, subject to such conditions that the Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of the Office of Registration Policy and Practice may impose on the applicant. See 37 C.F.R. § 202.20 (D) (1)(iii), (iv).
For a general discussion of special relief, see Chapter 1500, Section 1508.8.