Supplementary Registration

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copyright.gov

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Supplementary registration is a special type of registra­

tion that may be used to correct an error in a copyright

registration or to amplify the information given in a regis­

tration. Supplementary registration can be filed for basic

registrations issued on or after January 1, 1978, or a renewal

registration for a work that was registered or first published

on or before December 31, 1977. As discussed below, only

certain limited issues may be corrected or amplified through

supplementary registration.

Supplementary registration does not cancel or replace the

original registration or the registration number. Nor does it

change or remove the information contained in the original

registration. Instead, supplementary registration adds infor­

mation to the public record, and it augments—but does not

supersede—the information in the original registration. The

Office will issue a new certificate and registration number

for the supplementary registration, and the original and

supplementary registrations will be linked in the Office’s

public catalog.

note: In general, the Office issues one registration per work

and will refuse registration when a second basic registration

is submitted for the same version of the work. Supplemen­

tary registration is the only legal mode permitting authors

and claimants to augment the registration with a correction

or amplification.

Correction and Amplification

A supplementary registration may be used either to correct

or to amplify information in a registration.

A correction is appropriate if information in the original

registration was incorrect at the time that registration was

made. Examples: the original registration identified the wrong

author of the work, or the work was registered as published

when publication had not taken place. A supplementary

Supplementary registration is used

to correct or amplify the information

in an existing registration. This

circular provides an introduction to

supplementary registration

incorrect at the time that registration was

made. Examples: the original registration identified the wrong

author of the work, or the work was registered as published

when publication had not taken place. A supplementary

Supplementary registration is used

to correct or amplify the information

in an existing registration. This

circular provides an introduction to

supplementary registration. It covers

• What supplementary registration

adds to the public record

• When supplementary registration

is appropriate

• Who can file a supplementary

registration

• How to file a supplementary

registration

For more information, see chapter 1800,

section 1802 of the Compendium of U.S.

Copyright Office Practices.1

Supplementary Registration

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registration is not necessary for minor errors, such as typographical mistakes, the omission of an

address that appears elsewhere on the certificate, or the addition of the articles “a,” “an,” or “the.”

“Amplifications” fall into three general categories:

1.

Additional information that could have been included in the original registration but was

omitted when the registration was issued by the Copyright Office (Example: a coauthor was

omitted)

2.

Changes in certain facts that have occurred since the Copyright Office issued the original

registration (Example: a change in the title of the work)

3.

Explanations that clarify information given in the original registration (Example: statement

of authorship in the version being registered was not sufficiently explicit on the original

application)

Appropriate Supplementary Registration Situations

A supplementary registration may be appropriate in the following situations:

• To correct the spelling of a name or title.

• To reflect a change in name or address.

NOTE: Filing a supplementary registration for a change of name, address, or other personally

identifiable information (PII) does not remove the prior information from the public record

propriate Supplementary Registration Situations

A supplementary registration may be appropriate in the following situations:

• To correct the spelling of a name or title.

• To reflect a change in name or address.

NOTE: Filing a supplementary registration for a change of name, address, or other personally

identifiable information (PII) does not remove the prior information from the public record.

For information regarding the procedure for removing or replacing PII from the online record,

see Privacy: Copyright Public Records (Circular 18).

• To add a subtitle or a previous or alternate title of the work.

• To reflect a change in the title of the work.

• To add a missing author or provide the name of the correct author.

• To add the author’s real name to a registration for a pseudonymous or anonymous work.

• To provide complete work made for hire details. For more information on this concept, see

Works Made for Hire (Circular 30).

• To add the name of a co-claimant who should have been listed in the application when the

Copyright Office issued the original registration.

• To correct the year of completion or date of publication, as long as the corrected information

is the same as, or earlier than, the effective date of registration for the original registration.

• To correct the author’s citizenship/domicile or first nation of publication, based on the facts

that existed at the time the Copyright Office issued the original registration.

• To clarify that a work registered as published was unpublished at the time of the original

registration.

• To clarify the claim to copyright described in the nature of authorship or limitation of claim

areas of the application.

The Office may request documentation related to your supplementary registration, especially

when the correction or amplification implicates authorship, ownership, or eligibility for registration

istered as published was unpublished at the time of the original

registration.

• To clarify the claim to copyright described in the nature of authorship or limitation of claim

areas of the application.

The Office may request documentation related to your supplementary registration, especially

when the correction or amplification implicates authorship, ownership, or eligibility for registration.

For more information, as well as examples of situations where supplementary registration is appro­

priate, see chapter 1800, section 1802.6 of the Compendium.

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Inappropriate Supplementary Registration Situations

A supplementary registration cannot be used in the following situations:

• To alter an annotation made on the certificate.

• To reflect the division, license, or transfer of rights in the work.

NOTE: To reflect a division, license, or transfer of rights in a registered work, you should record

the assignment, license, or other legal document that transferred the copyright from one party

to another. For more information, see chapter 2300, section 2309 of the Compendium.

• To add a date of publication to the original registration for an unpublished work.

NOTE: If a published work was erroneously registered as unpublished, the date of publication

may be added if (1) the work was published after March 1, 1989, and (2) the deposit require­

ment for the registered work would be the same regardless of whether the work was pub­

lished or unpublished when the Copyright Office issued the basic registration.

• To address an error or omission appearing in a deposit copy, or to add new material to a

deposit copy.

• To add or correct the copyright notice on a deposit copy

• To cancel or abandon a registration. For more information on abandonment, see chapter 2300,

section 2311 of the Compendium. For information on cancellation, see chapter 1800, section

1807 of the Compendium.

• To question or challenge the validity of a basic registration

in a deposit copy, or to add new material to a

deposit copy.

• To add or correct the copyright notice on a deposit copy

• To cancel or abandon a registration. For more information on abandonment, see chapter 2300,

section 2311 of the Compendium. For information on cancellation, see chapter 1800, section

1807 of the Compendium.

• To question or challenge the validity of a basic registration.

For more information, as well as examples of situations where supplementary registration is

inappropriate, see chapter 1800, section 1802.7 of the Compendium.

Who May File a Supplementary Registration?

You may file a supplementary registration if you are:

• The author of the work.

• The claimant (the owner who owns all of the rights that initially belonged to the author).

• The owner of one or more—but fewer than all—of the exclusive rights in the work.

• The agent of the author, claimant, or owner of fewer than all rights.

No one else may file an application for supplementary registration.

Filing a Supplementary Registration

A supplementary registration may be made at any time after the Copyright Office issued the original

registration and may address multiple errors or missing information in the same application. A sup­

plementary registration addresses the registration record for one original registration and cannot be

used to correct or amplify the same information across multiple registrations.

To submit a supplementary registration, you will need to complete an application and pay a filing

fee. You also must certify that you reviewed the information set forth in the certificate of registration

tion. A sup­

plementary registration addresses the registration record for one original registration and cannot be

used to correct or amplify the same information across multiple registrations.

To submit a supplementary registration, you will need to complete an application and pay a filing

fee. You also must certify that you reviewed the information set forth in the certificate of registration

Supplementary Registration

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for the original registration. In certain circumstances, you may also be asked to provide a photocopy

of the front and back of this certificate.

NOTE: Copyright Office fees are subject to change. For current fees, see Copyright Office Fees (Circular 4)

or call the Office at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free).

You will need to submit your supplementary registration application online if you are correct­

ing or amplifying the information in a registration for any work that may be registered through the

online system:

• A literary work, single issue of a serial publication, work of the visual arts, work of the per­

forming arts, or sound recording.

• A collective work, works registered under the unit of publication option, and works registered

as an unpublished collection.

• Registrations for groups of serials, newspapers, newsletters, groups of published photographs,

group registration of contributions to periodicals, or groups of updates and revisions to a

photographic database.

If you attempt to use a paper application to supplement any of these registrations, the Office will

ask you to resubmit the claim using the online application. You will need to submit the application

with a new fee, and this delay will affect your effective date of registration.

You must submit a paper form CA to correct or amplify the information for:

• A renewal registration for works published or registered before January 1, 1978.

• A GATT registration.

• A group registration for a non-photographic database

he claim using the online application. You will need to submit the application

with a new fee, and this delay will affect your effective date of registration.

You must submit a paper form CA to correct or amplify the information for:

• A renewal registration for works published or registered before January 1, 1978.

• A GATT registration.

• A group registration for a non-photographic database.

In exceptional circumstances, the Office may waive the online-filing requirement. You must

submit a request to waive the online-filing requirement in writing. It should explain why you are

unable to use the online application and should be sent to:

Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice

Registration Program

U.S. Copyright Office

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559

Online Supplementary Registration

To complete a supplementary registration online, you will need to create a username and password

for the Office’s online filing system. When you log in, you will click the “supplementary registration”

link on the left side of the screen to begin the application. When completing the application, you

will be asked to:

• Provide the original registration number and year. The registration number typically begins

with two or three letters, such as “VA” or “VAu,” while the registration year appears under the

heading marked “effective date of registration.”

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• Identify the type of work previously registered. To identify your work(s), you will select from a

drop-down list. Read the descriptions that appear on the screen and select the category that

best describes the work or works covered by the basic registration.

• Provide the missing or corrected information. Complete each screen that appears in the online

application. Provide all of the information that should have been included in the basic regis­

tration when it was issued by the Copyright Office.

• Provide an explanation for the correction or amplification

select the category that

best describes the work or works covered by the basic registration.

• Provide the missing or corrected information. Complete each screen that appears in the online

application. Provide all of the information that should have been included in the basic regis­

tration when it was issued by the Copyright Office.

• Provide an explanation for the correction or amplification. Provide a brief statement identifying

and explaining the reason for the correction or amplification.

For more information on completing the online application, see chapter 1800, Section 1802.8(A)

of the Compendium.

Paper Supplementary Registration

To complete a supplementary registration by paper, you will submit the following:

1.

A completed Form CA

2. The nonrefundable filing fee in the form of a check or money order payable to the

U.S. Copyright Office. Do not send cash. Mail to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559

For more information on completing the paper application, see chapter 1800, Section 1802.8(B) of

the Compendium.

Original Certificate of Registration

You do not need to submit a copy of the original certificate of registration being corrected or ampli­

fied by the supplementary registration. During examination, the Office will review a scanned copy

of the certificate. If the supplementary registration corrects or amends a registration that has not

been scanned by the Office, the Office will ask you to provide a copy of the original certificate of

registration. If you are unable to do so, the Office will charge an additional fee to make a copy of the

original registration.

Records That Cannot be Corrected or Amplified with a Supplementary Registration

As mentioned above, a supplementary registration may be used only to correct or amplify a basic

registration issued after January 1, 1978, or a renewal registration for a work that was registered or

first published on or before December 31, 1977

l charge an additional fee to make a copy of the

original registration.

Records That Cannot be Corrected or Amplified with a Supplementary Registration

As mentioned above, a supplementary registration may be used only to correct or amplify a basic

registration issued after January 1, 1978, or a renewal registration for a work that was registered or

first published on or before December 31, 1977. Therefore, a supplementary registration cannot be

used for:

• Pending applications.

NOTE: If you discover an error or omission in a pending registration, submit a request to

address the error or omission on the Office’s website or inform the registration specialist

during the course of correspondence.

• Withdrawn or refused applications

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• Errors appearing solely in the online public record.

NOTE: If there is an error in the online public record that does not appear in the certificate of

registration, submit a request to address the error on the Office’s website.

• Previous supplementary registrations.

• Preregistrations.

NOTE: If there is an error or omission in a preregistration, file a new application for a new pre­

registration that contains the correct or missing information. If the work has been completed,

submit an application for a basic registration. For more information on preregistration, see

chapter 1600 of the Compendium.

• Certificates of registration for mask works or vessel designs.

NOTE: For information on correcting errors or omissions on a certificate of registration for a

mask work, see chapter 1200, section 1216 of the Compendium. For similar information with

regards to certificates for a vessel design, see chapter 1300, section 1317.

• Recorded documents.

NOTE: For the procedure for correcting an error in a recorded document, see chapter 2300, sec­

tion 2308 of the Compendium.

Effective Date of Registration

When the U.S. Copyright Office issues a certificate of supplementary registration, the Office assigns

it an effective date of registration

with

regards to certificates for a vessel design, see chapter 1300, section 1317.

• Recorded documents.

NOTE: For the procedure for correcting an error in a recorded document, see chapter 2300, sec­

tion 2308 of the Compendium.

Effective Date of Registration

When the U.S. Copyright Office issues a certificate of supplementary registration, the Office assigns

it an effective date of registration. The effective date of registration is the day on which an acceptable

application and filing fee have all been received in the Office. As a general rule, if the applicant makes

a reasonable good faith effort to complete the application and to identify the basic registration that

needs to be corrected or amplified, the effective date of registration will be the date that the Office

received the supplementary registration application with the appropriate filing fee.

The effective date of registration for the basic registration and the effective date of registration

for the supplementary registration will coexist with each other in the registration record. The Office

maintains both records to allow courts to decide whether the changes made by the supplementary

registration are material and whether those changes should or should not be deemed effective as of

the date that the basic registration was made.

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note

1. This circular is intended as an overview of supplementary registration. The authoritative source

for U.S. copyright law is the Copyright Act, codified in Title 17 of the United States Code. Copyright

Office regulations are codified in Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Copyright Office prac­

tices and procedures are summarized in the third edition of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office

Practices, cited as the Compendium. The copyright law, regulations, and the Compendium are avail­

able on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

7 of the United States Code. Copyright

Office regulations are codified in Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Copyright Office prac­

tices and procedures are summarized in the third edition of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office

Practices, cited as the Compendium. The copyright law, regulations, and the Compendium are avail­

able on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

1 U. S. Copyright Office · Library of Congress · 101 Independence Avenue SE · Washington, DC 20559 · copyright.gov

CIRCULAR 8

REVISED: 03/2021

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For Further Information

By Internet

The copyright law, the Compendium, electronic registration, application forms, regulations,

and related materials are available on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

By Email

To send an email inquiry, click the Contact Us link on the Copyright Office website.

By Telephone

For general information, call the Copyright Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000 or

1-877-476-0778 (toll free). Staff members are on duty from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, eastern time,

Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. To request application forms or circulars by

postal mail, call (202) 707-9100 or 1-877-476-0778 and leave a recorded message.

By Regular Mail

Write to

Library of Congress

U.S. Copyright Office

Outreach and Education Section

101 Independence Avenue, SE #6304

Washington, DC 20559-6304