Circular 62

2  62.0811

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Copyright Registration 

for Single Serial Issues

This circular provides background information about the registration of copyright claims in single serial issues.

For information on group registration for daily newspapers and newsletters, 

see Circular 62a, Group Registration of Newspapers and Newsletters on Form 

G/DN, and Form G/DN. For information on group registration for weekly or 

monthly serials, see Circular 62b, Group Registration for a Group of Serial Issues.

Definitions

Serials

For copyright purposes, serials are defined as works issued or intended to be 

issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designations and 

intended to be continued indefinitely. The classification “serial” includes periodicals, newspapers, magazines, bulletins, newsletters, annuals, journals, proceedings of societies, and other similar works.

Work Made for Hire

A “work made for hire” is a work prepared by an employee within the scope of 

his or her employment, or a work specially ordered or commissioned for certain 

uses (including use as a contribution to a collective work), if the parties expressly 

agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered 

a work made for hire. The employer is the author of a work made for hire.

Collective Work

The term “collective work” refers to a work, such as a serial issue, in which a 

number of contributions are assembled into a collective work. A claim in the 

“collective work” extends to all copyrightable authorship created by employees 

of the author, as well as any independent contributions in which the claimant 

has acquired ownership of the copyright.

Registration

Here are the options for registering your copyright, beginning with the fastest 

and most cost-effective method.

Online Registration

Online registration through the electronic Copyright Office (eCO) is the preferred way to register single serial issues. Advantages of online filing include a 

lower filing fee; fastest processing time; online status tracking; secure payment 

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Copyright Registration for Single Serial Issues · 2

by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright Office 

deposit account; and the ability to upload certain categories 

of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files.

note: You can still register using eCO and save money even if 

you will submit a hard-copy deposit. The system will prompt 

you to specify whether you intend to submit an electronic or a 

hard-copy deposit, and it will provide instructions accordingly.

To access eCO, go to the Copyright Office website at www.

copyright.gov and click on electronic Copyright Office.

Registration with Paper Forms

Fill-in copyright application forms are available on Copyright Office website, including Form SE (single serials). 

Complete the form on your personal computer, print it out, 

and sign and mail it with a check or money order and your 

deposit. Blank forms can also be printed out and completed 

by hand or requested by postal mail (limit of two copies of 

each form by mail). To request forms by postal mail, see the 

contact details at the end of this circular. Mail your completed application and deposit to 

Library of Congress

U.S. Copyright Office-SE

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6226

note: A claim to copyright in a single issue does not give 

blanket protection for other issues published under the same 

serial title. Each serial issue is considered a separate work for 

copyright purposes.

The Claimant and the Extent of the Claim

The copyright claimant is the person, organization, or legal 

entity authorized to claim copyright in the serial issue. The 

claimant is the author or the person or organization to 

whom all rights have been transferred.

The claimant registering a serial may claim copyright not 

only in the collective-work authorship for which the claimant is responsible, but also in any independently authored 

contributions in which all rights have been transferred to the 

claimant by the contributors.

If the serial issue includes any independently authored 

contributions in which all rights have been transferred by the 

contributor to the claimant for the serial issue as a whole, those 

contributions can be included in the claim being registered. 

Online Application

If you are registering online, you can either (1) list each individual contributor separately as an author, give the title of 

each contribution in the “other” field on the author-created 

screen, and check the appropriate transfer statement in the 

copyright claimant area of the registration application or (2) 

not list the individual contributor(s) and check the appropriate transfer statement (for example, By written agreement(s) 

from individual contributors not named on the application/

certificate). If you name some but not all of the individual 

contributors to the collective work as authors, and all rights 

to those contributions were transferred to the claimant, 

check the appropriate transfer statement (for example, By 

written agreement(s) from individual contributors named 

and contributors not named on the application/certificate). 

Paper Application

If you are registering on paper, you can either (1) list each 

individual contributor separately as an author, give the title 

of each contribution in the “nature of authorship” space, 

and add the appropriate transfer statement in the copyright claimant area of the registration application or (2) not 

list the individual contributor(s) and add the appropriate 

transfer statement (for example, By written agreement(s) 

from individual contributors not named on the application/

certificate). If you name some but not all of the individual 

contributors to the collective work as authors, and all rights 

to those contributions were transferred to the claimant, add 

the appropriate transfer statement (for example, By written 

agreement(s) from individual contributors named and contributors not named on the application/certificate). 

If you decide to not name the individual contributors, 

please note that some federal district courts have ruled that 

certain database registrations did not extend to any contributions by authors who were not explicitly named on 

the applications. The cases involved registrations based on 

applications that contained general references to unnamed 

authors, “three authors named, and [number] others.” The 

courts decided that such a general reference to unnamed 

authors in the name-of-author space did not satisfy what the 

courts understood to be a statutory requirement in 17 U.S.C.

409(2) that the application name all authors whose contributions the claimant wanted covered by the registration. The 

courts also concluded that in order to include the individual 

works within the compilation, the applications were required 

to state the titles of those works as well. The Copyright 

Office disagrees with these rulings, two of which have been 

appealed, and has not changed its practices because of them. 

However, it may be prudent to take them into account as you 
Copyright Registration for Single Serial Issues · 3

decide whether to name all the individual authors whose 

contributions are included in the serial.

If the serial issue includes any independently authored 

contributions in which all rights have not been transferred 

by the contributor to the claimant for the serial issue as a 

whole, those contributions are not included in the claim 

being registered, because the claimant in these contributions 

is different from the claimant in the entire serial issue.

A separately authored contribution in which all rights 

have not been transferred by the contributor to the claimant 

for the serial issue as a whole can be registered for copyright 

independently. To register such a contribution, the contributor should file a separate claim.

How to Complete the Application

Author Information

The applicant must determine who is the author of the 

serial issued covered by the claim and whether the material 

produced by that author is a “work made for hire.” Where 

the author is a corporation or other organization, the 

application must indicate that the work was “made for hire.” 

Therefore, in the case of the typical serial issue that is made 

for hire, the applicant should give the full legal name of the 

employer and check “yes” to show that the work was made 

for hire.

Author Created

In most cases, the preferred description of the authorship 

in a serial issue is either “compilation” or “contribution(s) 

to a collective work,” or both. A more specific statement is 

not generally necessary but may be given if appropriate. If 

you use online registration, check the “compilation” and/or 

“contribution(s) to a collective work” box(es). 

Copyright Claimant and Transfer

Give the full legal name and address of the claimant for 

the serial issue as a whole. When the same name or names 

appear as author and claimant, there is no need to complete 

the “transfer” space.

Conversely, whenever the name of the serial claimant is 

different from the name of one or more authors, a transfer 

statement is required.

If you listed the author(s) of independent contributions, 

check the appropriate transfer statement on the online 

registration application or add the appropriate transfer 

statement on the paper application (for example, By written 

agreement(s) from individual contributors named on the 

application/certificate). If you name some but not all of the 

individual contributors to the collective work as authors, 

and all rights to those contributions were transferred to the 

claimant, check the appropriate transfer statement on the 

online application or add the appropriate transfer statement on the paper application (for example, By written 

agreement(s) from individual contributors named and contributors not named on the application/certificate). 

If you did not list the author(s) of independent contributions and the claimant is the owner of these contributions, 

check the appropriate transfer statement on the online 

registration application or add the appropriate transfer 

statement on the paper application (for example, By written 

agreement(s) from individual contributors not named on the 

application/certificate). 

Notice of Copyright

Before March 1, 1989, the use of the copyright notice was 

mandatory on all published works, and any work first published before that date should have carried a notice. For 

works first published on or after March 1, 1989, use of the 

copyright notice is optional. For more information about 

copyright notice, see Circular 3, Copyright Notice.

Mandatory Deposit

Under the mandatory deposit provisions of the copyright law, 

two complete copies of the best edition of each issue of a 

serial published in the United States must be sent to the 

Copyright Office for the use of the Library of Congress. If 

registration is made, this requirement is automatically satisfied. If registration is not made, the two copies must be sent 

directly to the Copyright Acquisitions Division. (Registration 

is not mandatory.) It is the responsibility of the owner of copyright or the owner of the exclusive right of publication to fulfill this mandatory deposit requirement within three months 

after the date of publication in the United States. Failure to 

make the deposit can result in fines and other penalties.

Deposits of works that are not being registered should be 

sent to

Library of Congress

Copyright Office-407 Serials 

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6602

If applicable, a copy of the mandatory deposit notice must 

also be included with the submission.
Copyright Registration for Single Serial Issues · 4

U.S. Copyright Office · The Library of Congress · 101 Independence Avenue, SE · Washington, DC 20559-6000 · www.copyright.gov

circular 62 reviewed: 08⁄2011 Printed on recycled paper u.s. government printing office: 2011-xxx-xxx⁄xx,xxx

The mandatory deposit requirement also applies to works 

first published abroad that have subsequently been published 

in the United States. Copyright Office regulations, however, 

permit the deposit of one copy of a “foreign work,” that is, a 

work first published abroad that is later distributed in the 

United States without a change in copyrightable content, if 

(a) registration for the work is made before the work is distributed in the United States, or (b) registration for the work 

is made after the work is distributed in the United States but 

before a demand for deposit is made by this Office. If registration is not made, or if it is made after a demand, then two 

copies must be deposited. Failure to make the deposit can 

lead to fines and other penalties.

How to Obtain an ISSN Number

Obtaining an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 

is separate from copyright registration. The Copyright Office 

does not administer ISSN assignment. For information about 

obtaining an ISSN, write to Library of Congress, National 

Serials Data Program, Serial Record Division, 101 Independence 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540-4160. Or obtain information 

from the Library of Congress website at www.loc.gov/issn.

For Further Information

By Internet

Circulars, announcements, regulations, certain application 

forms, and other materials 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 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. Recorded information is available 24 hours a 

day. To request paper application forms or circulars, call (202) 

707-9100 or 1-877-476-0778 and leave a recorded message.

By Regular Mail

Write to

Library of Congress

Copyright Office-COPUBS

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6304