It is quite reasonable for them to require this, since they likely will use these items in every Web site they design. Yet what the Web master designs specifically for an association should belong to the association. What Web masters bring to the table from pre-existing experience or other Web sites may remain theirs as long as the association has an irrevocable license in perpetuity to use and modify it, and a guarantee that the next site designed by the Web master will not look too much like the association's site. Registration of a copyright with the Library of Congress' Copyright Office is voluntary, and an association will own a copyright in its Web site even if it does not register it. Yet there are several important reasons to do so.
Registration provides a presumption of ownership.
It is also a prerequisite to filing suit. If someone infringes on a Web site, the Web site's owner generally will not be able to file suit until its copyright has been registered. The first definition is that the copyright application not only must be filed with the Copyright Office, but also approved and returned to the applicant. But other courts have interpreted register simply as the filing of the copyright application. Because a copyright application can take more than six months to be processed by the Copyright Office, this distinction is important.