618.8 (D) (2) Claim in Copyrightable Authorship and De Minimis Material
If the applicant asserts a claim in copyrightable authorship as well as de minimis material, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation identifying the copyrightable material that has been submitted for registration.
Examples:
• An application is submitted naming Shirley Wonder as the author of “text, 2-D artwork.” The deposit is a poster containing a drawing of Jackie Robinson, together with the word “Pioneer” and the phrase “Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson.” Because the text is de minimis, the registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Deposit only contains copyrightable 2-D artwork.”
• An application is submitted for a musical work naming Susan Harris as the author of “words and arrangement.” The deposit copy contains only lyrics and chord symbols. The registration specialist may register the claim with an annotation, such as: “Regarding authorship information: Deposit contains lyrics and standard chord symbols. Standard chord symbols not registrable. Compendium 802.5 (A).”