2303 Recordation Distinguished from Registration
Recordation and registration are separate procedures. The U.S. Copyright Office registers claims to copyright, while the Office records transfers of copyright ownership, documents pertaining to copyright, and other documents that are listed in Section 2304 below.
To register a claim to copyright, an applicant must submit an application, deposit copy(ies), and the appropriate filing fee. The registration specialist will examine the application and the deposit copy(ies) to determine if the material deposited constitutes copyrightable subject matter and if the other legal and formal requirements for registration have been met.
To record a document, a remitter must submit a signed document together with the appropriate filing fee. A separate application is not required, although a remitter may submit a transfer or other document pertaining to copyright together with a document cover sheet submitted on Form DCS. For information concerning this form, see Section 2309.6.
A transfer of copyright ownership, a document pertaining to copyright, and other types of documents may be recorded, even if the copyright has not been registered with the Office. However, recording a document is not a substitute for registering a copyright claim, and registering a copyright claim is not a substitute for recording a document.
For a general overview of the practices and procedures for registering a claim to copyright, see Chapter 200.