202.1 Types of Registrations
The U.S. Copyright Office registers claims to copyright in works of authorship. As a general rule, the Office will issue one registration for each work that is submitted for registration. Generally, the Office will not issue separate registrations for the constituent elements or individual components of a work of authorship. And as discussed Chapter 500, Section 503.1 (A), the Office generally will not issue separate registrations to each author who contributed copyrightable expression to the work.
The U.S. Copyright Office currently offers the following types of registrations:
• Basic registrations. An application for a basic registration is used to register a copyright claim in a work created or first published on or after January 1, 1978, and covers the full term of the copyright. This type of registration may be obtained with a Standard Application, a Single Application (provided certain eligibility requirements have been met), or a paper application. For a discussion of these applications, see Chapter 1400, Sections 1403 and 1405.
• Group registrations. An application for a group registration is used to register a claim to copyright in a group of related works that qualify for a single registration. See 17 U.S.C. § 408 (C) (1), (2). For a detailed discussion of group registration, see Chapter 1100.
• Supplementary registration. An application for a supplementary registration may be used to correct or amplify the information in a basic or renewal registration. 17 U.S.C. § 408 (D). For a detailed discussion of supplementary registration, see Chapter 1800, Section 1802.
• GATT registration. An application for a GATT registration is used to register a copyright claim in a work in which U.S. copyright was restored by the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA). See Uruguay Round Agreements Act, 103 P.L. 465, 108 Stat. 4809 (1994) (codified as amended at 17 U.S.C. § 104A). For a discussion of GATT registration, see Chapter 2000, Section 2007.
• Renewal registration. An application for a renewal registration is used to cover the renewal term for works copyrighted before January 1, 1978. See 17 U.S.C. § 304. For a detailed discussion of renewal registration, see Chapter 2100.