Circular 62a

2  62a.0509

w

Group Registration 

of Newspapers

and Newsletters on 

Form G/DN

In General 

This circular provides information about how to register a group of newspaper 

or newsletter issues on Form G/DN. The requirements for group registration of 

newspapers and newsletters are different, as explained below.

Newspapers

A group of newspaper issues may be registered on Form G/DN only if all the 

following conditions are met:

1 The work must be a daily newspaper.

2 The claim must include all issue dates within the calendar month within the 

same year.

3 The applicant must submit a complete month’s issues in microfilm form, 

unless specifically exempted.

4 Each issue essentially must be an all-new collective work.

5 The work must be a “work made for hire.”

6 The author and claimant must be the same person or organization.

7 The application must be filed within three months after the last publication 

date included in the group.

What to Deposit—Newspapers

The application must be accompanied by a deposit of a positive 35mm silverhalide microfilm that includes all issues within the calendar month. Final editions are required when two or more daily editions are published. In some 

cases, the publisher may be exempted from sending the microfilm by the Copyright Office. The Copyright Office will notify the publisher if a newspaper is 

exempted. For an exempted newspaper, an optional deposit may accompany the 

application. This deposit should consist of (1) complete print copies of the first 

and last issues of the month or (2) print copies of the first section of the first and 

last issues of the month or (3) print copies of the first page of the first and last 

issues of the month.
Group Registration of Newspapers and Newsletters · 2

Newsletters

A group of newsletter issues may be registered on Form G/DN

only if all the following conditions are met:

1 The work must be a daily newsletter.

2 The work must be a “work made for hire,” and the author 

and claimant must be the same person or organization.

3 Each issue must be an essentially all-new collective work 

or all-new issue that has not been published before.

4 The application must be filed within three months after 

the last publication date included in the group.

5 The claim must include two or more issues within a single 

calendar month within the same year.

6 All issues in the group must have been first published on 

or after July 1, 1999.

7 The applicant must submit one complete copy of each 

issue in the group with the application. The applicant 

must also provide one microfilm copy or up to two free 

subscriptions, only if specifically requested by the Copyright Office.

What to Deposit—Newsletters

In all cases, one complete copy of each issue included in the 

group must accompany the Form G/DN. If the newsletter is 

published only online, one complete printout of each issue, 

or a computer disk (or CD-ROM) containing all the issues 

and a printout of the first and last issues included in the 

group, must be sent. 

Additional material must be sent only if specifically 

requested by the Copyright Office. The request will specify the 

nature of the additional material, which will be either (1) one 

microfilm copy meeting the specifications given above for 

newspapers, or (2) one or two complimentary subscriptions 

for the Library of Congress. 

important: The microfilm or subscriptions should be sent to 

a separate address specified in the request from the Copyright Office. This material should not be sent with Form G/DN. 

Unless expressly requested, no microfilm or subscription 

copies are required.

newsletter issues published before july 1, 1999: A 

group of newsletter issues published before July 1, 1999, may 

be registered using Form SE/Group. A single registration may 

be made for two or more issues published in a single calendar 

month within the same year. One complete copy of each issue 

must be deposited with the application Form SE/Group and 

the correct fee. Up to two free subscriptions must be provided, 

only if specifically requested by the Copyright Office. For more 

information about registering newsletter issues published 

before July 1, 1999, please call the Literary Division at (202) 

707-8250. 

Definitions

What Is a Newspaper?

As defined by the Newspaper Section of the Serials and Government Publications Division of the Library of Congress, works 

classified as newspapers are serials mainly designed to be a 

primary source of written information on current events that 

can be local, national, or international in scope. Newspapers 

contain a broad range of news on all subjects and activities and 

are not limited to any specific subject matter. Newspapers are 

intended either for the general public or for a particular group.

What Is a Daily Newsletter?

For registration purposes, a daily newsletter is defined as a 

serial published and distributed by mail or electronic media 

(online, telefacsimile, cassette tape, diskette, or CD-ROM). 

Publication must occur at least two days a week, and the 

newsletter must contain news or information of interest 

chiefly to a special group (for example, trade and professional 

associations, employees of a corporation, schools, colleges, 

or churches). Daily newsletters are customarily sold by subscription and are not available on newsstands.

note: Group registration for newsletters published weekly or 

monthly may be available using Form SE/Group. See Circular 

62b, Copyright Registration of a Group of Serial Issues, for more 

information.

What Is a 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 whole.

What Is Publication?

The copyright law defines “publication” as “the distribution 

of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale 

or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.” A work is also “published” if there has been an “offering 

to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons 

for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or 

public display.”

What Is a Work Made for Hire?

A “work made for hire” is defined as (1) a work prepared by 

an employee within the scope of his or her employment or 
Group Registration of Newspapers and Newsletters · 3

(2) 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.

What the Registration Covers

For each issue in the group, registration on Form G/DN

includes all the material in which the claimant named at 

space 2 owns the copyright. This includes the authorship 

of compiling and editing the work as a whole as well as the 

content of any contributions (for example, text or photos) 

done by employees of the claimant as works made for hire. 

In addition, it includes any independently authored contributions (not done by employees) in which all rights have 

been transferred to the claimant by the contributors. These 

other contributions are included even though the individual 

contributors are not named on Form G/DN. The registration 

does not include any independently authored contributions 

in which all rights have not been transferred to the claimant. 

How to Register

Send the following three items together in the same envelope 

or package:

1 completed and signed Form G/DN

2 deposit (see above)

3 the filing fee

Send this material to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6000

note: Copyright Office fees are subject to change. 

For current fees, please check the Copyright Office website 

at www.copyright.gov, write the Copyright Office, or call 

(202) 707-3000.

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. 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. If you want to request paper 

application forms or circulars, call the Forms and Publications Hotline at (202) 707‐9100. Leave a recorded message.

By Regular Mail

Write to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office-COPUBS

Publications Section

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6304
U.S. Copyright Office · Library of Congress · 101 Independence Avenue SE · Washington, DC 20559-6000 · www.copyright.gov

Group Registration of Newspapers and Newsletters · 4

circular 62a rev: 05 ⁄ 2009 print: 05 ⁄ 2009⁄6,000 Printed on recycled paper u.s. government printing office: 2009-349-387 ⁄ 80,035