1509.2(J) Registration Deposit Requirements for Works of the Performing Arts: At a Glance
The following charts provide a brief summary of the deposit requirements for various types of works of the performing arts. For a detailed discussion of these requirements, see Sections 1509.2 (A) through 1509.2 (I) above.
If the applicant is unable to submit a deposit that satisfies these requirements, the applicant may ask for special relief. For information concerning this procedure, see Section 1508.8.
General Requirements
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Unpublished works | n/a | One complete copy or phonorecord representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Works first published in the United States before 1/1/78 | Two complete copies or phonorecords of the work as first published | n/a |
| Works first published in the United States between 1/1/78 and 3/1/89 that are not listed below | Two complete copies or phonorecords of the best edition of the work (including the copyright notice for the first published edition) | n/a |
| Works first published in the United States on or after 3/1/89 that are not listed below | Two complete copies or phonorecords containing the best edition of the work | n/a |
| Works that are not listed below that are published solely in a foreign country | One complete copy or phonorecord of the work as first published in the foreign country | n/a |
| Works that are not listed below that are first published in a foreign country and subsequently published in the United States that are not listed below | One complete copy or phonorecord of the work as first published in the foreign country or one complete copy of the best edition published in the United States if the content of the U.S. and foreign editions is identical | n/a |
Musical Works
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Unpublished musical works | n/a | One complete copy or phonorecord representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Musical works published only in printed copies | One complete copy of the best edition of the work | n/a |
| Musical works published only in phonorecords | One complete phonorecord of the published work | n/a |
| Musical works published in printed copies and phonorecords before the work was submitted for registration | One complete copy of the best edition of the printed work | |
| Musical works published only in motion pictures | See Section 1509.2 (A) (2) (D) | n/a |
Sound Recordings
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Unpublished sound recordings | n/a | One complete phonorecord representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Sound recordings published solely in hard copy format | Two complete phonorecords containing the best edition of the work in hard copy format | n/a |
| Sound recordings published in hard copy and electronic format before the work was submitted for registration | Two complete phonorecords containing the best edition of the work in hard copy format | n/a |
| Sound recordings published solely in electronic format | One complete phonorecord of the published work | n/a |
Dramatic Works
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Dramatic works fixed in visually perceptible copies | Two complete copies of the best edition of the work | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Dramatic works fixed in phonorecords | One complete phonorecord of the best edition of the work | One complete phonorecord representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Dramatic works fixed in motion pictures | See Section 1509.2 (C) (2) | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Dramatic works published solely in electronic format | See Sections 1507.2 and 1509.2 (C) (2) | n/a |
Choreographic Works and Pantomimes
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Choreographic works fixed in printed copies | Two complete copies of the best edition of the printed work | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Choreographic works fixed in motion pictures | One complete copy of the best edition of the motion picture | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Pantomimes fixed in printed copies | Two complete copies of the best edition of the printed work | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Pantomimes fixed in motion pictures | One complete copy of the best edition of the motion picture | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
| Choreographic works or pantomimes published solely in electronic format | See Sections 1507.2 and 1509.2 (D) (2) | n/a |
Audiovisual Works
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Computer screen displays | See Section 1509.1 (F) (6) | See Section 1509.1 (F) (6) |
| Audiovisual works fixed in a CD- ROM | One complete copy of the entire CD-ROM package | One complete copy of the entire CD-ROM package |
| Audiovisual works fixed in machine-readable copies other than a CD-ROM (e.g., arcade videogames) | Identifying material consisting of a videotape or a series of photographs depicting representative portions of the work together with a separate synopsis of the work | Identifying material consisting of a videotape or a series of photographs or drawings depicting representative portions of the work together with a separate synopsis of the work |
| Audiovisual works fixed in multimedia kits | One complete copy of the best edition of the kit | One complete copy representing the entire copyrightable content |
Motion Pictures
| Nature of the Work | Published | Unpublished |
| Motion pictures | See Section 1509.2 (F) (1) |
One complete copy of the work and a separate written description, or in the alternative, identifying material and a separate written description containing the information set forth in Section 1509.2 (F) (2) |
| Motion pictures published solely in electronic format | See Section 1507.2 | n/a |
Group Registration Options
| Nature of the Works | Published | Unpublished |
| Group registration of unpublished works | n/a | See Chapter 1100, Section 1106.4 |