2309.14 Return Receipts for Transfers of Ownership or Other Documents Pertaining to Copyright
When a transfer of ownership or other document pertaining to copyright is submitted for recordation it may be several months or more before the remitter receives word from the Office concerning the status of the submission.
Upon request the Office will provide a return receipt confirming that the Office received a document. To request a receipt, the remitter must check the box on space 4 of Form DCS, and must submit two copies of the form in the same envelope or package with the document, the filing fee, and a self-addressed envelope bearing the appropriate amount of postage. When the submission is received, the Office will attach a date-stamped receipt to one of the forms and will mail these items to the remitter in the self-addressed envelope.
NOTE: Form DCS should only be used if the remitter intends to record a transfer of ownership or other document pertaining to copyright. It should not be used if the remitter intends to record a notice of termination, an interim designation of agent for an online service provider, or any other type of document discussed in this Chapter. To request a return receipt for these types of documents the remitter should follow the procedures described in Sections 2310.6, 2311, 2312, 2313.7, or 2314.8.
Requesting a return receipt is optional. A receipt indicates that the Office received the document described in the form on a particular date, but it does not establish that the document is eligible for recordation or guarantee that the Office will issue a certificate of recordation. Moreover, if the document is recorded, the date stamped on the receipt may or may not be the same as the date of recordation set forth in the certificate.
See generally Changes to Recordation Practices, 79 Fed. Reg. 41,470, 41,472 (July 16, 2014).