610.2 Title of Work Being Registered / Title of this Work
When completing an online application, the applicant should begin by selecting Title of Work Being Registered and entering the primary title for the work in that field (including any subtitles). If the applicant fails to provide this information, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system.
If the work contains a number of separate and independent works, such as an anthology, periodical, serial, or the like, and if the applicant intends to register the entire collective work, the title for that collective work should be provided as the Title of Work Being Registered.
If the applicant instead intends to register a contribution that has been included in a collective work, such as an article, a photograph, or the like, but does not intend to register the larger work as a whole (for instance, because the claimant does not own the copyright in the collective work), the title for the contribution should be provided as the Title of Work Being Registered. In all cases, the applicant should only provide titles for a contribution if the copyright claimant owns all of the rights in that contribution.
If the applicant intends to register a number of works with the unit of publication option, the applicant should provide a title for the unit as a whole, as well as the title for each component work that will be submitted for registration. For a discussion of the unit of publication option, see Chapter 1100, Section 1103.
When completing a paper application, the applicant should enter the title of the work in space 1 of the application under the heading Title of This Work. As the name suggests, the Title of This Work is the primary title of the work that the applicant intends to register (including any subtitles). If the applicant fails to provide this information, the application may be questioned, which may delay the examination of the application.
Form SE also directs the applicant to provide the Title of This Serial. This space does not appear in the online application or other paper applications. As the name suggests, the Title of This Serial is the primary title of the serial that the applicant intends to register (including any subtitles). Additionally, the applicant should provide the volume and number for the specific issue that will be submitted for registration, the issue date that appears on the deposit copies (e.g., January 15, 2010; Spring 2012, etc.), and the frequency of publication for the specific serial.
Examples:
• The applicant intends to register a novel titled The Sun Also Sets. The applicant should provide that title as the Title of Work Being Registered.
• The claimant wishes to register a song titled, “Midnight,” which was published in an album titled All My Blues. The claimant does not own the copyright in the other songs and did not create the album as a whole. The applicant should provide “Midnight” as the Title of Work Being Registered. (All My Blues should be provided in the Title of Larger Work field, as described in Section 610.4 (B) below.)
• The applicant intends to register the episode “Tina Goes Home” from the television series All My Grandchildren. The applicant should provide “Tina Goes Home” as the Title of Work Being Registered. (The title of the television series should be provided as the Series Title as described in Section 610.5 below.)
• The applicant intends to register a book titled Mozart. The subtitle for the book is A Heavenly Voice for the Ages. This is the third book in a series titled The Great Composers. The applicant should provide Mozart: A Heavenly Voice for the Ages as the Title of Work Being Registered. (The applicant should provide The Great Composers as the Series Title, as described in Section 610.5 below.)