808.10 (I) (3) Fixed Copies
The statutory definition indicates that offering to distribute copies constitutes publication, provided that the copies exist when the offer is made. Offering to distribute copies before they exist or before they are ready for further distribution, public performance, or public display does not constitute publication. Thus, making an offer to distribute a motion picture or television show before or during the production of that work does not constitute publication, because the work is not completely fixed at the time of the offering. Once an offer has been made, however, a work is considered published once the work has been completed. In the case of an offer involving a television series that has not been completed, the publication date will be the same for the episodes that were completed as of the date that the offer was made and the publication date for the rest of the episodes will be the date that each episode is completed.