402 Who Is the Applicant?
The applicant is the party who signs the certification and submits the application to the U.S. Copyright Office. Any of the following parties may certify and submit an application to register a copyright claim:
• The author of the work;
• The owner of all the exclusive rights in the work;
• The owner of one or more – but less than all – of the exclusive rights in the work; or
• A duly authorized agent of any of the foregoing parties.
No other parties are entitled to file an application for copyright registration. See 17 U.S.C. § 408 (A) (stating that “the owner of copyright or of any exclusive right in the work may obtain registration of the copyright claim”); see also 37 C.F.R. § 202.3 (C) (1) (specifying the parties who may submit an application for copyright registration); Registration of Copyright: Definition of Claimant, 77 Fed. Reg. 29,257, 29,258 (May 17, 2012).