503.1 (E) Copyrightable Authorship
When completing an application, the applicant should identify the copyrightable authorship that the author contributed to the work, but should not assert a claim in any aspect of the work that is not protected by copyright. For more information on what constitutes uncopyrightable authorship, see Chapter 300, Section 313.
The following chart provides representative examples of various types of works and the copyrightable authorship they typically contain, as distinguished from the uncopyrightable material that may appear in the work. In these examples, the Office may register a claim to copyright in the “text,” “photographs,” “artwork,” or other forms of copyrightable authorship that the author contributed to the work, but not the “facts,” “listing of ingredients,” “process,” “method,” “name,” “typeface,” “typographic ornamentation,” or other uncopyrightable material.
| Type of Work | Copyrightable Authorship | Uncopyrightable Material |
| Newspaper | Text, photographs, illustrations | Facts |
| Cookbook | Text, artwork, photographs | Listings of ingredients; ideas, procedures, processes, or methods for cooking |
| Computer program | Source code, screen displays of pictorial or audiovisual authorship | Ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation, concepts, principles, or discoveries |
| Product logo | Artwork | Name of the product; typeface or typographic ornamentation |
| Comic book | Artwork, text | Name of characters; idea for characters |
| Type of Work | Copyrightable Authorship | Uncopyrightable Material |
| Website | Text, artwork, photographs, audiovisual material | Format and layout; domain name |