Circular 12

2  12.0110

w

Recordation of

Transfers and

Other Documents

Whether or not a copyrighted work has been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, owners of these works often enter into agreements that affect their 

ownership rights. They may authorize others to use their works, even giving 

someone else control over ways in which a work is used. Documents pertaining 

to agreements regarding copyrights may be recorded in the Copyright Office. 

Recording a document is voluntary in most cases. However, the law encourages 

document recordation by conferring certain legal advantages, including priority between conflicting transfers and “constructive notice” if certain requirements are met. Any document pertaining to a copyright may be recorded as 

long as the person submitting it complies with the procedures set forth in this 

publication. The requirements for certain types of documents are not covered 

by this publication. These documents include notices of termination (but see 

mailing address on page 5), visual arts registry, shareware registry, online service 

provider designation of agent, identification of anonymous/pseudonymous 

authors, author death statements, and others. Also, documents filed with the 

Licensing Division of the Copyright Office are not covered by this circular.

This publication explains how to record a document with the Copyright 

Office. The Copyright Office is a federally designated agency of record that 

is authorized by law to maintain official records relating to copyright. These 

records are available for public inspection. When a document is recorded, the 

Copyright Office maintains a true and accurate copy of it that can be accepted 

by a court of law as authentic evidence of the original. A description of each 

recorded document, including party names, titles of works, heading notes, and 

other information, is added to a catalog that lists all recorded documents. The 

copy of the recorded document and the catalog are available for public inspection. The Copyright Office does not enforce agreements that are in recorded 

documents. Although the Copyright Office has minimum requirements that 

must be satisfied for a document to be recorded, such as being complete by 

its own terms, the Office does not determine whether documents satisfy legal 

requirements that are necessary for the documents to be effective or enforced 

against the parties.

The Copyright Office has designed a form, a Document Cover Sheet, to 

accompany any document submitted for recordation. Use of the Document 

Cover Sheet is optional. Although it may be used to satisfy the sworn certification requirement described below, the Copyright Office relies on the actual 

document and its component parts, not the information provided in the form, 

for creating a catalog entry that identifies parties or titles of works affected by 

the document. The Document Cover Sheet is not a form to be used for transferring or making statements about copyrights. A separate transfer or other 

document must be submitted.
Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents · 2

Background

What Copyright Is

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the 

United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” 

including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain 

other intangible works. This protection is available for both 

published and unpublished works.

Exclusive Rights

The initial owner of copyright generally has the exclusive right:

• To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords

• To prepare derivative works based upon the work

• To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the 

public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, 

lease, or lending

• In the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and 

other audiovisual works, to perform the work publicly

• In the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or 

sculptural works, including the individual images of a 

motion picture or other audiovisual work, to display the 

work publicly

• In the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of certain digital audio transmissions

Owner of Copyright

Only those deriving their rights through the author can own 

copyright in the work. The author may transfer all or part of 

the copyright to someone else. Copyright protection exists 

from the time the work is created and fixed in some tangible 

form. The copyright immediately becomes the property of 

the author upon fixation. In the case of a work having more 

than one author, the authors are co-owners of the copyright, 

unless there is an agreement to the contrary. In the case of a 

work made for hire, the employer, not the employee, is presumed to be the author.

A copyright may also be conveyed by operation of law and 

may be bequeathed by will or pass at the death of the copyright owner as personal property by the applicable laws of 

intestate succession.

Divisibility of Copyright

Any or all of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner, or 

any subdivision of those rights, may be transferred separately. 

However, the transfer of any exclusive right is not valid 

unless the transfer is in writing and signed by the owner of 

the rights conveyed (or the owner’s duly authorized agent). 

The transfer of a nonexclusive right does not require a written document, but a written document may afford priority 

to the licensee in certain situations.

What May Be Recorded

A document that transfers copyright ownership or any other 

document pertaining to a copyright may be recorded in the 

Copyright Office if the document filed for recordation bears 

the actual signature of the person who executed it, or if the 

document is accompanied by a sworn or official certification that it is a true copy of the original signed document. 

17 USC 205(a).

Transfers

A “transfer of copyright ownership” is an assignment, mortgage, grant of an exclusive license, transfer by will or intestate 

succession, or any other change in the ownership of any 

or all the exclusive rights in a copyright, whether or not it 

is limited in time or place of effect. It does not include a 

nonexclusive license. A transfer of exclusive rights, other 

than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument of 

conveyance (for example, contract, bond, or deed) or a note 

or memorandum of the transfer is in writing and is signed 

by the owner of the rights conveyed or the owner’s duly 

authorized agent. The Copyright Office does not make or in 

any way participate in the making of transfers of copyright 

ownership, but it will record a document of transfer after it 

has been executed by the parties. No special forms for documents and notarization are necessary for recordation. The 

following information should be noted:

• Forms: Although the use of the Document Cover Sheet 

is optional, it is designed to facilitate recordation of 

documents. The form is available in this circular and is 

also available on the Copyright Office website.

Where the Document Cover Sheet is used, two copies of 

the cover sheet should accompany each document. Information provided in the cover sheets should be typed or printed. 

When completed, the cover sheet should contain the information requested so that the Copyright Office can process 

the document and return it. Any cover sheets submitted will 

be recorded with the document as part of the official recordation. A document cannot be recorded unless it satisfies the 

recordation requirements set out in copyright law, regulations, and Copyright Office practices. See subsequent sections on “Documents Will Be Returned Unrecorded If:” and 

“What to Submit to Record a Document.”
Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents · 3

Whoever submits a document with or without a cover 

sheet is solely responsible for verifying the sufficiency of the 

document. Recording a document submitted with or without a cover sheet does not constitute a determination by the 

Copyright Office of the document’s validity or effect. Only a 

court may make such determinations.

Documents submitted for recordation should not be 

in the form of a letter to the Copyright Office because this 

Office cannot make transfers of copyright ownership. Rather, 

the Office serves as an office of public record of transfers.

• Notarization of Certificate of Acknowledgement: A valid 

transfer need not be notarized or otherwise accompanied 

by a certificate of acknowledgement. However, a notarization or certificate of acknowledgment is prima facie evidence of the execution of the transfer if:

1 In the case of a transfer executed in the United States, 

the certificate is issued by a person authorized to 

administer oaths within the United States; or

2 In the case of a transfer executed in a foreign country, 

the certificate is issued by a diplomatic or consular 

officer of the United States or by a person authorized to 

administer oaths whose authority is proved by the certificate of such a diplomatic or consular officer or by a 

competent foreign authority pursuant to the provisions 

of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.

Documents Pertaining to a Copyright

A document is considered to “pertain to a copyright” if it has 

a direct or indirect relationship to the existence, scope, duration, or identification of a copyright, or to the ownership, 

division, allocation, licensing, transfer, or exercise of rights 

under a copyright. That relationship may be past, present, 

future, or potential.

Examples: Exclusive and nonexclusive licenses, contracts, 

mortgages, powers of attorney, certificates of change of corporate title, wills, and decrees of distribution.

The work to which the document pertains may be either 

published or unpublished, and registration for the work 

need not have been made before recordation.

Indexing Is Based on Information 

in the Document 

Information in the catalog record is taken directly from the 

document. Documents, including officially certified documents, that do not contain identification of specific titles of 

copyrighted works will be cataloged as “no titles given.” Titles 

will not be recorded from the Document Cover Sheet or 

from pages that were not part of the document as executed. 

Likewise, parties to a transfer must be identified in the document, and the document must be signed by the party making 

the transfer. Therefore, parties and titles should be clearly 

identified in the document, or in a schedule, appendix, or 

other attachments to the document, other than the Document Cover Sheet.

Copyright Office Does Not Examine Documents 

for Legal Sufficiency

The Copyright Office does not attempt to judge the legal 

sufficiency or to interpret the content of any document submitted for recordation. It does not screen the document for 

errors or discrepancies. It does not screen the documents for 

content and does not generally correspond with the remitter 

about the sufficiency of the document.

Parties are therefore cautioned to review and scrutinize 

any document to assure its legal sufficiency before submitting it to the Copyright Office for recordation. The Copyright 

Office will record the document, but recordation may be 

without legal effect unless the remitter has prepared the document in a way that satisfies applicable legal requirements.

What to Submit to Record a Document

note: To be recorded, a document must:

1 Have an original signature (or proper certification of 

photocopy)

2 Be complete by its own terms

3 Be legible

4 Be accompanied by the correct fee

Any transfer of copyright ownership or other document 

pertaining to a copyright may be recorded in the Copyright 

Office if the document meets the following requirements:

1 The document must bear the actual signature or signatures of the person or persons who executed (signed) the 

document. If a photocopy of the original signed document is submitted, it must be accompanied by a sworn or 

official certification. The certification must state that the 

attached reproduction is a true copy of the original signed 

document.

The certification must be either a “sworn certification” 

or an “official certification.”
Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents · 4

a A sworn certification is used with a document that 

requires no validation by, nor filing in, a public office.

The sworn certification must communicate that the 

attached reproduction is a true copy of the original 

signed document, and the sworn certification must be 

signed by one of the parties to the document or by an 

authorized representative of that person. Sworn certifications may be issued by a notary or other person 

authorized to administer oaths. As an alternative to 

a notarized certification, the following statement is 

acceptable: “I declare under penalty of perjury that the 

accompanying document is a true and correct copy of the 

original document. Executed on .” date

note: A notary public’s signature certifying that the 

photocopy is a true copy is not acceptable. The signatory 

must be one of the parties to the document or an authorized representative of that person.

The Document Cover Sheet may be used for the sworn 

certification. An acceptable statement is preprinted at 

space 7.

b An official certification is used with a document that 

requires validation by, or filing in, a public office.

An official certification is a certification by the 

appropriate government official that the original of 

the document is on file in a public office and that the 

reproduction submitted is a true copy of the original.

note: You must submit an original official certification. 

A photocopy of an official certification is not acceptable.

and

2 The document must be complete by its own terms. 

That is, a document that contains a reference to any 

schedule, appendix, exhibit, addendum, or other material as being attached or made a part of it is recordable 

only if the attachment is submitted for recordation 

with the document.

and

3 The document must be legible and capable of being 

reproduced in legible imaged copies.

and

4 The document must be accompanied by the recording 

fee as prescribed in the law. Bank drafts must be drawn 

on or payable through a U.S. bank.

c In the case of multiple title documents, titles that are 

repeated in documents will be counted as a single 

title, except where the document lists different issues, 

volumes, chapters, or installments following the title. 

Each such entry will be regarded as a separate title and 

will be indexed separately and counted separately for 

purposes of computing the recordation fee. This procedure for computing the fee on multiple title documents is effective July 1, 1998.

Example of multiple titles for which a separate fee is 

charged:

“Fan Club News,” vol. 1, no. 3 (June 1981)

“Fan Club News,” vol. 1, no. 4 (July 1981)

“Fan Club News,” vol. 1, no. 5 (August 1981)

*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. 

Additional titles after the first, including variant titles for the 

same work, are charged an additional fee for each group of 10 

or fewer. The fee is based on the number of titles in a document, not the number of works.

Effective August 1, 2009, the Copyright Office no longer 

refunds the full fee for recordation of a document filed for 

recordation if the document is not recorded. The basic fee 

will be retained to cover administrative costs. Only fees for 

additional titles will be refunded.

Documents Will Be Returned Unrecorded If:

1 The document does not have an original signature or 

proper certification.

2 The document submitted is not capable of being reproduced legibly.

3 The document is incomplete by its own terms.

4 The document is marked as an Exhibit, unless the person 

requesting recordation asserts that the document is sufficiently complete as it stands.

5 The complete recordation fee is not submitted.

6 It is unclear to the Documents Recordation Section 

whether the document is to be recorded.

7 The document is submitted to this Office in error.
Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents · 5

Mechanics of Recording Transfers 

or Other Documents 

The date of recordation is the date when the written document in proper form and the proper fee are received in the 

Copyright Office.

A written document is in proper form when:

1 It contains the proper signature or signatures

2 It is complete by its own terms, and

3 It is capable of being imaged

Documents sent to the Visual Arts and Recordation Section for recordation are first screened, and nonrecordable 

documents are returned before fees are accepted in the 

Office. Documents accepted for recordation are verified, 

numbered, cataloged, and imaged for the public record. They 

are indexed in the Copyright Office online records under the 

names of the parties and the titles they contain. Registrations 

for all works dating from January 1, 1978, are available in the 

online Copyright Office catalog (1978–present). The original document is returned to the sender with a certificate of 

recordation bearing the date of recordation and the volume 

and document number identifying the recorded document.

Registrations for all works dating from January 1, 1978, are 

available in the online Copyright Office catalog (1978–present). The original is returned to the sender with a certificate 

of record bearing the date of recordation and the volume 

and document number identifying the recorded document.

Documents are available for public viewing in the Copyright Card Catalog. The Copyright Card Catalog is open to 

the public from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, eastern time, Monday 

through Friday, except federal holidays. It is located in the 

Copyright Office, James Madison Memorial Building, 101 

Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC.

Mailing Instructions

Recordations, transfers of copyright, and other documents 

pertaining to a copyright should be submitted to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office-DOC

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6216

 Mailing Address for Notices of Termination

Notices of termination submitted for recordation should be 

mailed to:

Copyright Office Notices of Termination 

P.O. Box 71537 

Washington, DC 20024-1537

For further information, go to 74 FR 12554 on the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov/fedreg/ or see 37 

CFR 201.

Advantages of Recordation

While the recordation of a transfer or document pertaining 

to a copyright is not mandatory, there are several advantages 

to recordation. These include:

• Under certain conditions, recordation establishes priorities between conflicting transfers, or between a conflicting 

transfer and a nonexclusive license.

• Recordation establishes a public record of the contents of 

the transfer or document.

• Recordation of a document in the Copyright Office 

provides the advantage of “constructive notice,” a legal 

concept meaning that members of the public are deemed 

to have knowledge of the facts stated in the document 

and cannot claim otherwise. Section 205 of the Copyright 

Act says that recordation of a document in the Copyright 

Office gives all persons constructive notice of the facts 

stated in the recorded document, but only if

1 The document or material attached to it specifically 

identifies the work to which it pertains so that, after 

the document is indexed by the Register of Copyrights, 

it would be revealed by a reasonable search under the 

title (or registration number) of the work; 

and

2 Registration has been made for the work.

Recordation may be required to perfect a security interest, 

according to case law.

Public Access to Document Records

Requests for copies of recorded documents should be 

addressed to:
Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents · 6

Copyright GC/I&R

P.O. Box 70400

Washington, DC 20024

tel: (202) 707-6787

fax: (202) 252-3519 (for deposit account holders only)

Inspection and copying of completed records and indexes 

relating to a registration or a recorded document and 

inspection of copies or identifying material deposited in 

connection with a completed copyright registration may be 

undertaken in the Records, Research and Certification Section upon payment of the appropriate fee. Since some of the 

materials are not stored on the immediate premises of the 

Copyright Office, it is advisable to consult with the Records, 

Research and Certification Section in advance to determine 

the length of time necessary to produce the required materials.

Requests for searches of recordations in the completed 

catalogs and indexes of the Copyright Office should be 

addressed to:

Copyright GC/I&R

P.O. Box 70400

Washington, DC 20024

tel: (202) 707-6850

fax: (202) 252-3485 (for deposit account holders only)

Copyright Office Catalog Records Available 

over the Internet 

Copyright Office records in machine-readable form from 

January 1, 1978, to the present, including registration and 

renewal information and recorded documents, are available for searching from the Copyright Office website at 

www.copyright.gov. Images of registration applications and 

recorded documents are not available over the Internet.

Documents Not Covered by This Circular 

The filing or recordation of the following documents is not 

covered by this circular, and other requirements may apply:

1 Certain contracts entered into by cable systems located 

outside the 48 contiguous states. [17 USC 111(e); see 

37 CFR 201.12]

2 Notices of Identity and Signal Carriage Complement, and 

Statements of Account of cable systems. [17 USC 111(d); 

see 37 CFR 201.11 and 201.17]

3 Statements of account of satellite carriers. [17 USC 119(b); 

see 37 CFR 201.11]

4 Notices and statements of account submitted for distribution of digital audio recording equipment and media. [17 

USC chapter 10, 1003-1004; see 37 CFR 201.27 and 201.28]

5 Original signed notices of intention to obtain a compulsory license to make and distribute phonorecords of 

nondramatic musical works. [17 USC 115(b); see 37 CFR

201.18]

6 License agreements and terms and rates of royalty payments voluntarily negotiated between one or more public 

broadcasting entities and certain owners of copyright. 

[17 USC 118; see 37 CFR 201.9]

7 Notices of termination. [17 USC 203, 304(c), 304(d); see 

37 CFR 201.10 and 74 FR 12554]

8 Statements regarding the identity of authors of anonymous and pseudonymous works and statements relating 

to the death of authors. [17 USC 302]

9 Notices of Intent to Enforce filed under the URAA. 

[17 USC 104(a), 109(b), chapter 11]

10 Documents pertaining to the removal of works of visual 

art from buildings. [17 USC 113(d)]

11 Documents pertaining to transfers of Mask Works. 

[17 USC 903(c)]

For information on recording shareware, contact the 

Visual Arts and Recordation Section at the address given 

under “Mailing Instructions” on page 5.

Relevant Statutory Provisions from 

Title 17 of the United States Code

Section 101

§ 101 · Definitions

A “joint work” is a work prepared by two or more authors 

with the intention that their contributions be merged into 

inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.

A “transfer of copyright ownership” is an assignment, 

mortgage, exclusive license, or any other conveyance, alienation, or hypothecation of a copyright or of any of the 

exclusive rights comprised in a copyright, whether or not 

it is limited in time or place of effect, but not including a 

nonexclusive license.
Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents · 7

Section 204

§ 204 · Execution of transfers of copyright ownership

(a) A transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in 

writing and is signed by the owner of the rights conveyed 

or such owner’s duly authorized agent.

(b)A certificate of acknowledgement is not required for the 

validity of a transfer but is prima facie evidence of the 

execution of the transfer if—

(1) in the case of a transfer executed in the United States, 

the certificate is issued by a person authorized to 

administer oaths within the United States; or

(2) in the case of a transfer executed in a foreign country, 

the certificate is issued by a diplomatic or consular 

officer of the United States, or by a person authorized 

to administer oaths whose authority is proved by a 

certificate of such an officer.

Section 205

§ 205 · Recordation of transfers and other documents

(a)Conditions for Recordation.—Any transfer of copyright 

ownership or other document pertaining to a copyright 

may be recorded in the Copyright Office if the document 

filed for recordation bears the actual signature of the 

person who executed it, or if it is accompanied by a sworn 

or official certification that it is a true copy of the original, 

signed document.

(b)Certificate of Recordation.—The Register of Copyrights 

shall, upon receipt of a document as provided by subsection (a) and of the fee provided by 17 USC 708, record the 

document and return it with a certificate of recordation.

(c) Recordation As Constructive Notice.—Recordation of 

a document in the Copyright Office gives all persons 

constructive notice of the facts stated in the recorded 

document, but only if—

(1) the document, or materials attached to it, specifically 

identifies the work to which it pertains so that, after 

the document is indexed by the Register of Copyrights, 

it would be revealed by a reasonable search under the 

title or registration number of the work; and

(2)registration has been made for the work.

(d)Priority Between Conflicting Transfers.—As between two 

conflicting transfers, the one executed first prevails if it 

is recorded, in the manner required to give constructive 

notice under subsection (c), within one month after its

execution in the United States or within two months after 

its execution outside the United States, or at any time 

before recordation in such manner of the later transfer. 

Otherwise the later transfer prevails if recorded first in 

such manner and if taken in good faith, for valuable 

consideration or on the basis of a binding promise to pay 

royalties, and without notice of the earlier transfer.

(e) Priority Between Conflicting Transfer of Ownership and 

Nonexclusive License.—A nonexclusive license, whether 

recorded or not, prevails over a conflicting transfer of 

copyright ownership if the license is evidenced by a written instrument signed by the owner of the rights licensed 

or such owner’s duly authorized agent, and if—

(1) the license was taken before execution of the transfer;

or

(2)the license was taken in good faith before recordation 

of the transfer and without notice of it.

For Further Information

By Internet

Circulars, announcements, regulations, certain application 

forms, and other related materials are available from the 

Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov. To send and 

email communication, click on Contact Us at the bottom of 

the homepage. 

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, Monday through Friday, 

eastern time, except federal holidays. Recorded information 

is available 24 hours a day. To request paper application 

forms or circulars, call the Forms and Publications Hotline 

at (202) 707-9100 and leave a recorded message. 

By Regular Mail

Write to: 

Library of Congress

Copyright Office–COPUBS

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6304
circular 12 rev: 01 ⁄ 2010 print: 01 ⁄ 2010 — ••,000 Printed on recycled paper U.S. Government Printing Office: 2010-330-945⁄60,•••

U.S. Copyright Office · Library of Congress · 101 Independence Avenue SE · Washington, DC 20559-6000 · www.copyright.gov
Read all of the instructions below before completing this form. 

Use of the Document Cover Sheet is optional but encouraged.

When to use this form Use the Document Cover Sheet when you are 

submitting a document for recordation in the U.S. Copyright Office.

Mailing requirements It is important to send the original cover 

sheet and one copy of the cover sheet for each document that is being 

submitted for recordation. The two copies of the Document Cover 

Sheet, the document, and the fee must be sent together in the same 

envelope or package. The Copyright Office cannot process them unless 

they are received together. Send to: Library of Congress, Copyright 

Office-DOC, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20559-6216.

Cover sheets should be typed or printed and should contain the 

information requested so that the Copyright Office can process the 

document and return it. Be sure to complete space 8 so that the recorded document can be returned. The Copyright Office will process 

the document based on the information in the document or an attachment that is part of the document. Information for indexing will not 

be taken from the Document Cover Sheet or attachments that were not

part of the document when it was executed (signed). To be recorded, 

the document must satisfy the recordation requirements of the copyright law and Copyright Office regulations.

The person submitting a document with a cover sheet is solely 

responsible for verifying the correctness of the cover sheet and the 

sufficiency of the document. Recording a document submitted with 

or without a cover sheet does not constitute a determination by the 

Copyright Office of the document’s validity or effect. Only a court may 

make such a determination.

When a Document Cover Sheet is submitted, it will be imaged with 

the document as part of the public record.

privacy act advisory statement (Required by the Privacy Act of 

1974 (P.L. 93-579)): The authority for requesting this information is title 

17 U.S.C. §205. Furnishing the requested information is voluntary. But 

if the information is not provided, it may be necessary to delay recordation.

The principal uses of the requested information are the establishment and maintenance of a public record and the evaluation for compliance with the recordation requirements of section 205 of the copyright code. Other routine uses include public inspection and copying, 

preparation of public indexes, preparation of public catalogs of copyright recordations, and preparation of search reports upon request.

note: No other advisory statement will be given in connection with 

this application. Please keep this statement and refer to it if we communicate with you regarding this cover sheet.

Space 1: First party given in the document This information is only 

used to connect the Document Cover Sheet and the document if they 

become separated. No information is entered in the catalog record 

from this space.

Space 2: First title given in the document This information is only 

used to connect the Document Cover Sheet and the document if they 

become separated. No information is entered in the catalog record 

from this space. 

Space 3: Total number of titles in the document The total number of 

titles (including a.k.a. and other variant titles of a work) determines 

the recordation fee. In the case of multiple title documents, titles that 

are repeated in documents are counted as a single title, except where 

the document lists different issues, volumes, episode numbers, etc. 

following each title. Each such entry is regarded as a separate title and 

will be indexed separately and counted separately when computing 

the fee for recording the document. The Copyright Office verifies title 

counts.

Space 4: Amount of fee calculated There is a basic fee for recording 

a document containing one title. There is an additional charge for 

each group of up to 10 additional titles. “Alternative” titles, “formerlyknown-as” titles, and “also-known-as” titles are considered to be extra 

titles. Titles are counted by groups. If there are fewer than 10 titles in a 

group, the fee for a group still applies. Copyright Office fees are subject 

to change. For current fees, check the Copyright Office website at www.

copyright.gov, write the Copyright Office, or call (202) 707-3000. Please 

remember that the fee is based on the number of titles in a document, 

not the number of works.

Space 5: Fee enclosed Check the appropriate box. If a Copyright 

Office deposit account is to be charged, give the Copyright Office 

deposit account number and name. The Office only accepts domestic 

money orders and checks payable through a U.S. bank with American 

Bankers Association routing numbers. International and postal money 

orders are not accepted.

Space 6: Completeness of document Check the appropriate box. 

Please read the “Important note”if checking “Record ‘as is.’”All 

documents recorded under §205 of the Copyright Act must be 

complete by their own terms to be recorded. Notices of termination 

recorded under §203, §304(c), and §304(d) must be complete and exact 

duplicates of the notices as served. Please refer to Copyright Office 

regulations in Chapter 37 C.F.R. §201.4 and §201.10 and Circular 12, 

Recordation of Transfers and Other Documents, for more information.

Space 7: Certification of photocopied documents Complete this 

section only if submitting a photocopied document in lieu of a 

document bearing the actual original signature. If a photocopy of the 

original signed document is submitted, it must be accompanied by a 

sworn certification. A sworn certification signed by at least one of the 

parties to the document or that party’s authorized representative (who 

is identified as such at space 7) will satisfy that requirement. The date 

entered in the date field should be the date you sign the Document 

Cover Sheet. Copies of documents on file in a federal, state, or local 

government office must be accompanied by an original official 

certification.

Space 8: Return to Give the name and address of the person to whom 

the recorded document should be returned. The Copyright Office does 

not maintain paper files of recorded documents. The documents are 

imaged and returned to the person or firm designated in this space. 

Please include telephone number, fax number, and email address in 

case we need to contact you.

6 Document Cover Sheet · Basic Information

Space-by-Space Instructions
do not write above this line · see instructions on reverse

To the Register of Copyrights: Please record the accompanying original document or properly certified copy thereof.

1 First party name given in the document

(important:  Please read instruction for this and other spaces.)

2 First title given in the document

3 Total number of titles in the document

4 Amount of fee calculated

5 Fee enclosed ò Check ò Money order

ò Fee authorized to be charged to Copyright Office deposit account

Deposit account number 

Deposit account name 

6 Completeness of document ò Document is complete by its own terms    ò Document is not complete. Record “as is.”

important note: A request to record a document “as is” under 37 CFR §201.4(c)(2) is an assertion 

that: (a) the attachment is completely unavailable for recordation; (b) the attachment is not essential 

to the identification of the subject matter of the document; and (c) it would be impossible or wholly 

impracticable to have the parties to the document sign or initial a deletion of the reference to the 

attachment.

7 Certification of Photocopied Document Complete this certification if a photocopy of the original signed document is substituted for a 

document bearing the actual original signature. 

note: This space may not be used for documents that require an official certification.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the accompanying document is a true and correct copy 

of the original document.

Signature Date

Duly authorized agent of

8 Return to: Name

Number ⁄ street Apt ⁄ suite

City State Zip

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Email 

send to: Library of Congress, Copyright Office-DOC, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20559-6216

include all these together: (1) Two copies of this form; (2) payment from a deposit account or by check⁄money order payable to Register of 

Copyrights; and (3) your document.

6 Document Cover Sheet

united states copyright office

For Recordation of Documents

Volume Document 

Volume Document 

Date of recordation m d y

(assigned by the copyright office)

Funds received 

form dcs rev: 02 ⁄ 2009 print: 02 ⁄ 2009 — ••,000 Printed on recycled paper U.S. Government Printing Office: 2009-•••-•••⁄••,•••

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