Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition
- One article written by a freelance writer who assigned the copyright to her closely held company.
- One photograph taken by a photographer who granted the exclusive right of reproduction to a stock photography service and therefore no longer owns all of the rights in the work.
- One treatment written by a screenwriter who gave a motion picture studio the exclusive right to produce his work as a motion picture and therefore no longer owns all of the rights in the work.
609.1(C) Question 3: Does the Work You Are Sending Contain Material Created Only by This Author?
If the work was created by one individual and if that individual is the sole author of the material that appears in the work, the applicant should check the box marked “yes” that appears next to the question, “Does the work you are sending contain material created only by this author?”
The following are representative examples of works created solely by one individual:
- One travel book containing text, illustrations, and photographs created by Christopher Wren.
- One song containing music and lyrics created by Danielle Running Horse.
- One sound recording containing music written and performed by Latika Ram.
- A musical work and sound recording written by Alicia Fox in which she performs all of the instruments and vocals.
- One video containing script, direction, cinematography, and music created by Jonathan Bass.
- A translation of Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence created by Jill Lyon.
If the work contains material created by two or more authors, the applicant should check the box marked “no,” even if the applicant does not intend to name the other authors in the application and does not intend to claim their contributions in the application.
The following are representative examples of works containing material created by two or more authors:
- A novel written by one individual with an introduction and an afterword written by two other individuals.