512.2 (C) Registering Multiple Versions of a Published Work: Multiple Versions Published on the Same Date
If one version contains all the copyrightable material that appears in other versions of the same work and if all the versions were published on the same date, the applicant should submit the most complete version.
Example:
• Dice Drugs published two versions of a user manual on August 15, 2012. One version is written in English; the other version contains the same text written in English and Spanish. The publisher should submit an application to register the English/Spanish version.
If each version contains copyrightable material that does not appear in other versions of the same work and if all the versions were published on the same date, the applicant may submit a separate application for each version.
Example:
• On September 15, 2013 Coffee Cabinet LLC submits two applications for two versions of a novel which were published on September 1, 2013. One version is intended for British readers, while the other is an Americanized version that is intended for readers in the United States. In both cases, the applicant asserts a claim in text. The registration specialist will register both claims.
NOTE: When all of the versions are published on the same date there is no need to exclude any overlapping material that appears in each version because simultaneously published material is not considered previously published material for purposes of registration.