611.2 (A) Year of Completion Apparently Incorrect
The registration specialist may communicate with the applicant if the year of completion is inconsistent with or contradicted by other dates that appear in the registration materials.
For instance, the year of completion cannot be later than the date of publication specified in the application. If the date of publication predates the year of completion in an online application, the application will not be accepted by the electronic registration system. If the date of publication precedes the year of completion in a paper application, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine the correct completion and publication dates.
Moreover, the year of completion cannot be later than the date that the application is certified or the date that the application is received in the U.S. Copyright Office. The electronic registration system will not accept an online application if the date of receipt precedes the year of completion. If the date of certification or the date of receipt precedes the year of completion in a paper application, the specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine the correct completion date.
If the year of completion specified in the deposit copy(ies) is later than the year of completion specified in the application, the specialist may communicate with the applicant to determine the correct date. If the year of completion is clearly provided in the deposit copy(ies) or elsewhere in the registration materials, the specialist may amend the date provided in the application, and may add an annotation to the registration record, such as: “Regarding year of completion: Corrected by Copyright Office from statement on copy.”
Examples:
• An online application states that the author died in 1980, but gives the year of completion as 1982. The registration specialist will ask the applicant if the year of death is correct, and if so, to explain the discrepancy with the year of completion.
• An online application is submitted for a musical work titled “Eau de Joy.” The application states that the work was completed in 2005, but a statement on the phonorecord indicates that the work was written for the inauguration of President Obama in 2009. The registration specialist will ask the applicant to verify the year of completion.
• A paper application is certified and submitted on December 31, 2008. The application states that the work was completed in 2009. The registration specialist will communicate with the applicant to determine the correct year of completion.