620.10 (C) (3) Transfer Statements That Merely Describe the Relationship between the Author and the Copyright Claimant
As a general rule, the U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a transfer statement that merely describes the relationship between the author and the claimant without specifying how the claimant obtained ownership of the copyright.
Examples:
• Claimant is the author’s father, mother, son, or daughter, or any other member of the author’s family (even if the author is a minor).
• Claimant is the mother, father, daughter, son, widow, or widower of a deceased author, or any other member of the deceased author’s family (although the Office will accept a transfer statement indicating that the claimant is the author’s “heir,” acquired the copyright “by will,” or similar statements indicating that the claimant obtained the copyright “by inheritance”).
• Claimant is the author’s spouse (although the Office will accept a transfer statement indicating that the spouse acquired the copyright “by operation of state community property law”).
• Author is president of claimant corporation.
• Author owns 100% of the claimant corporation’s stock.
• Claimant is the author’s agent.
• Claimant is the author’s publisher.
• Claimant is the author’s licensee.
• Claimant produces all of the author’s artistic works.