Circular 8

Supplementary Copyright Registration

Table of Contents

Supplementary Registration: In General

Supplementary registration is a special type of copyright registration provided for in section 408(d) of the copyright law (17 U.S. Code). If information in the basic registration is incorrect or incomplete, the law provides for “filing of an application for supplementary registration, to correct an error in a copyright registration or to amplify the information given in a registration.” The information in the basic registration record remains unchanged. The supplementary registration augments and, in most cases, is cross-referenced to this record.

Earlier Registration Necessary

Supplementary registration can be made only if a basic copyright registration for the same work has already been completed. The statute requires that the application for supplementary registration “shall clearly identify the registration to be corrected or amplified.” Please note that a single Form CA can be used to correct only one basic registration, not multiple registrations. A Form CA cannot be used to correct an earlier supplementary registration.

What Basic Registration Can Be Corrected or Amplified?

As a general rule, any completed basic registration in the records of the Copyright Office can be the subject of a supplementary registration. This is true regardless of when the basic registration was made and regardless of the class in which the basic registration was made.

Corrections and Amplifications

A supplementary registration can be made either to “correct” or to “amplify” information in a basic registration.

Corrections

A “correction” is appropriate if information in a basic registration was incorrect at the time that basic registration was made. Examples: the basic registration identified an incorrect author of the work, or the work was registered as published when publication had not actually taken place. (note: A supplementary registration is not appropriate where the work was registered as unpublished when it was actually published at the time of registration. See “Published Work Previously Registered as Unpublished” below.) A supplementary registration is not necessary for minor errors, such as typographical errors, omission of address in space 4 when it appears elsewhere on the application, or addition of the articles “a,” “an,” or “the.”

Amplifications

“Amplifications” fall into these three general categories:

  1. Additional information that could have been given but was omitted at the time of basic registration (Example: a co-author was omitted);
  2. Changes in certain facts that have occurred since the basic registration (Example: change of title); and
  3. Explanations that clarify information given in the basic registration (Example: statement of authorship in the version being registered was not sufficiently explicit on the original application).

Who May Apply for Supplementary Registration?

Once a basic registration has been made for a work, any author or other copyright claimant or any owner of an exclusive right in the work wishing to correct or amplify the information given in the basic registration may apply for supplementary registration. A duly authorized agent of any such author, claimant, or owner of exclusive rights may also submit an application for supplementary registration.

How to Apply for Supplementary Registration

The application for supplementary registration must be submitted on Form CA. To apply for supplementary registration an applicant should submit:

  1. A completed Form CA;
  2. A photocopy of the front and back of the certificate of the registration being amended;
  3. The nonrefundable filing fee* in the form of a check or money order payable to Register of Copyrights. Do not send cash. Mail to:

    Library of Congress
    Copyright Office-RPO
    101 Independence Avenue SE
    Washington, DC 20559-6200

The filing fee for processing a claim to supplementary copyright registration is nonrefundable, whether or not copyright registration is ultimately made.

*NOTE: Copyright Office fees are subject to change. For current fees, please check the Copyright Office website, write the Copyright Office, or call (202) 707-3000.

note: Copies or phonorecords of the work or supporting documents cannot be made part of the record of a supplementary registration and should not be sent to the Copyright Office with a Form CA.

Form CA and other Copyright Office forms and publications are available from the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov. For best results, fill in the form on-screen, print it, and mail it to the Copyright Office. For additional information on obtaining Copyright Office publications, see “For Further Information.”

Blank application forms may be photocopied; however, photocopied forms submitted to the Copyright Office must be clear, legible, on a good grade of 8½ × 11" white paper suitable for automatic feeding through a photocopier. The forms should be printed, preferably in black ink, head-to-head so that the top of page 2 is directly behind the top of page 1. Forms not meeting these requirements may be returned resulting in delayed registration.

What Happens When a Supplementary Registration Is Made?

When a supplementary registration is completed, the Copyright Office will assign it a new registration number, usually in the same class and series as the basic registration, and issue a certificate of supplementary registration under that number. The basic registration will not be expunged or cancelled, and the two registrations will both stand in the Copyright Office records. The supplementary registration will direct the public’s attention to an error or omission in the basic registration, and it will place the correct facts or the additional information on official record.

When Supplementary Registration Is Not Appropriate

In General

As explained below, supplementary registration is not appropriate in the following cases:

  1. Where the work has been revised or where corrections have been made to statements appearing on the copies or phonorecords;

  2. As a substitute for renewal registration;

  3. As a substitute for recording a transfer or other document pertaining to copyright ownership; and

  4. Where a work was registered as unpublished but was actually published at the time of the basic registration.

When the Work Has Been Revised or Statements on the Copies or Phonorecords Have Been Corrected

Supplementary registration can be used only to correct errors or amplify facts stated in an earlier application for a completed registration. Form CA is not appropriate to correct errors on the copies or phonorecords of the work in question or to reflect changes in the content of the work. If the work has been changed since registration was made and if the changes are sufficient for the work to be considered a “derivative work,” the proper procedure is to make a new basic registration for the revised version to cover the additions or revisions.

Supplementary Registration Different from Renewal Registration

A supplementary registration is entirely different from a renewal registration. Renewal registration cannot be made by filing Form CA. A completed Form RE and a registration filing fee are required. (See earlier note on fees.) For further information about copyright renewal, read Circular 15, Renewal of Copyright.

Changes in Ownership of Rights

If ownership of the copyright has changed since the basic registration was made (whether it changed from one owner to another or was divided among several owners of exclusive rights), Form CA is not appropriate. Section 205 of the statute provides that “any transfer of copyright ownership or other document pertaining to a copyright may be recorded in the Copyright Office.” Recording a document pertaining to copyright ownership under section 205 not only “gives all persons constructive notice of the facts stated in the recorded document,” but it may also have other important consequences in cases of infringement or conflicting transfers. Supplementary registration does not accord “constructive notice” and is not the correct method for recording transfers of copyright ownership. For further information about recordation of documents, read Circular 12, Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents.

Published Work Previously Registered as Unpublished

A supplementary registration is not acceptable to correct a registration that did not identify the work as published. The deposit requirement for a published work is different from that for an unpublished work. Therefore, the proper deposit requirement has not been met and cannot be met with a supplementary registration. In this case, another basic registration should be made with the proper deposit materials for a published work. In space 5 of the registration application form, answer “yes” to the “previous registration” question, and without checking any of the boxes below, state, “This registration is made to correct registration number (class) (number) which was incorrectly made as unpublished.”

Suggestions for Completing Form CA

Space A: This space identifies the registration that is being amended. Give the title, authors, claimants, and year date of registration exactly as they appear in the original application, including any incorrect information.

Space B: Complete this part only if information in the basic registration was incorrect at the time that basic registration was made. Transcribe the erroneous information exactly as it appears in the basic registration. Give the correct information and explain the error. For example: “Andrew Miller named at space 2; should have been Ardis Miller—author’s first name was in error.”

Space C: Complete this part if your purpose is to add, update, or clarify information rather than to correct an actual error. Explain the additional information. For example: “Maude Miller, U. S. citizen, was an author—name was accidentally omitted.”

Space F: The application is not acceptable unless it bears the handwritten signature of the author, copyright claimant, owner of exclusive right(s), or the duly authorized agent of such author, claimant, or owner.

Effective Date of Registration

A copyright registration is effective on the date the Copyright Office receives all the required elements in acceptable form, regardless of how long it then takes to process the application and mail the certificate of registration. The time the Copyright Office requires to process an application varies, depending on the amount of material the Office is receiving.

If you apply for copyright registration online using eService, you will receive an email stating that your application has been received.

If you apply for copyright registration using a paper application, you will not receive an acknowledgment that your application has been received (the Office receives more than 600,000 applications annually), but you can expect:

If you want to know the date that the Copyright Office receives your material, send it by registered or certified mail and request a return receipt.

A final word of caution: This circular contains general information about the purposes and procedures for making supplementary registration. In many cases, however, it is important to consult a copyright attorney before deciding the best procedure to follow.

For Further Information

By Internet

Circulars, announcements, regulations, other related materials, and all copyright application forms are available from the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

By Telephone

For general information about copyright, call the Copyright Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000. Staff members are on duty from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. Or, if you know which application forms and information circulars you want, you can request them 24 hours a day from the Forms and Publications Hotline at (202) 707‑9100. Leave a recorded message.

By Regular Mail

Write to:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Copyright Office-COPUBS
Publications Section
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20559-6304

Circular 8, Revised January 2008

Format Note:

This electronic version has been altered slightly from the original printed text for website presentation.  For a copy of the original circular, consult the PDF version or write to Copyright Office, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC  20559-6000.

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U.S. Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20559-6000
(202) 707-3000