619.3 When Is an Individual or Legal Entity Eligible to Be a Copyright Claimant?
An application naming the author as the copyright claimant may be filed at any time before the copyright expires.
An individual or entity that owns all of the rights under copyright that initially belonged to the author may be named as the copyright claimant at any time during the life of the copyright, provided that the party owns all of the rights, whether by transfer, bequeath, or operation of law, as of the date that the application is received in the Office. If the copyright is owned jointly by two or more parties, all of the owners must be listed in the application.