What can be registered with this application?

This application may be used to register a group of musical works (with or without lyrics) that were published on the same album.

This application cannot be used register a sound recording. And it cannot be used to register photos, artwork, liner notes, or any other type of work that may be included on the album.

What's the difference between a "musical work" and a "sound recording"?

A musical work – such as a song with music and lyrics – and a particular recording of that song are two separate works.

A musical work is a work that consists of music – including melody, rhythm, and/or harmony – and any accompanying lyrics.

Example:

A sound recording is a recording of a particular performance of a musical work.

For example, the song “Respect” and a recording of Aretha Franklin performing the song “Respect” are two distinct works. The music and lyrics is a musical work. A recording of a person performing this song is a sound recording.

Example:

This is a musical work:

These are sound recordings:

For more information about the differences between a musical work and a sound recording, read Circular 56a.

What is an album?

As mentioned above, this application may be used to register a group of musical works that were published on the same album.

An “album” is defined as “a single physical or electronic unit of distribution containing at least two musical works that are embodied in a phonorecord.” For examples of what may qualify as an “album,” see Group Registration of Works on an Album (Circular 58).

Eligibility Requirements

You may register a group of musical works with this application, if the following conditions have been met.

Author Information

The author of a musical work is the person who created the music or the lyrics that appear in the work, such as a composer, lyricist, or songwriter.

If the works were created by one author, you should identify that author in the application. If the works were created by two or more co-authors, you should identify all of the co-authors in the application.

As mentioned above, all of the musical works must be created by the same author, or all of the works must have a common author.

Note: All of the other registration requirements must also be met, including the requirement that the claimant(s) for each work must be the same person or organization. Read more.

Works Created by the Same Author

You may use this application if all of the works were created by the same person, as shown below:

Example:

Songs Author
1 A
2 A
3 A

Works Created by the Same Co-Authors

Likewise, you may use this application if all of the works were created by the same co-authors, as shown below:

Example:

Songs Co-Authors
1 A & B
2 A & B
3 A & B

Works Created by a Common Author

You may also use this application if all of the works being registered have a common author or a common co-author. This means that at least one of the authors must have contributed copyrightable authorship to each and every work in the group, as shown in the following examples.

Example:

Songs Authors
1 A
2 A & B
3 A & C

In this example, songs 1, 2, and 3 have a common author, because each work was created or co-created by the same person. In other words, A is the author or co-author of every song in this group, even though A co-created songs 2 and 3 with a different co-author – namely, B and C.

Example:

Songs Authors
4 A & B
5 A & C
5 D & E

In this example, songs 4 and 5 have a common author, because each work was co-created by the same person. In other words, A is the co-author of songs 4 and 5, even though A co-created these works with a different co-author – namely, B and C.

By contrast, song 6 doesn’t have a common author, because the co-authors of that work – D and E – did not create any of the other songs in this group. Likewise, A is not a common author for song 6, because A did not co-create that work.

Claimant Information

When you complete the application, you must provide the name and address for the copyright claimant(s).

Who is the copyright claimant?

A copyright claimant can be either the author of all of the works in the group being registered, or a person or organization that has obtained ownership of all of the exclusive rights initially belonging to an author of all of the works in the group being registered.

In all cases, the copyright claimant or co-claimants for each work listed in the application must be the same person(s) or organization.

Can I name the author as the copyright claimant?

Yes. If you plan to name the author or co-authors as the copyright claimant(s), then all of the works in the group being registered must be created by the same author, or the works must have a common joint author and the copyright claimant or co-claimants for each work must all be the same person(s) or organization.as shown in the following example.

Example:

Songs Authors Claimants
1 A & B A & B
2 A & B A & B
3 A & B A & B

In this example, A and B co-created Songs 1, 2, and 3. All three songs may be registered with this application, naming A and B as the co-claimants for these works.

Example:

Songs Authors
4 A & C
5 A & C
6 A & D

In this example, A and C created songs 4 and 5. A and D created song 6. Songs 4 and 5 may be registered with this application by naming A and C as the co-claimants for these works.

By contrast, song 6 cannot be included in the claim, because the co-authors of that work are different than the co-authors of songs 4 and 5.

To register song 6, the applicant should submit a separate application, deposit, and fee for that work using the Standard Application, not the group registration application. Click here if you need help locating the Standard Application.

Can I name a third party as the copyright claimant, such as a music publisher?

A third party – such as a music publisher – may be named as the copyright claimant if that party owns all of the exclusive rights that initially belonged to an author of all of the works being registered.

The copyright law provides composers, lyricists, and songwriters with the following exclusive rights:

A third party may be named as the copyright claimant if that party owns all of the exclusive rights that initially belonged to an author of all of the works listed in your application.

If you plan to name a third party as the copyright claimant, you should only list the works that are owned by that party. If a third party does not own all of the exclusive rights that initially belonged to an author of a particular work, you should not list that work in your application.

Example:

Songs Co-Authors Owner of All of the Authors' Exclusive Rights
1 A & B Publisher X
2 A & C Publisher X

In this example, A and B created song 1. A and C created song 2. A, B, and C transferred all of their exclusive rights to Publisher X by written agreement.

Songs 1 and 2 may be registered with this application, by naming Publisher X as the claimant for those works.

Example:

Songs Co-Authors Owner of 50% of the Authors' Publishing Rights Owner of All Other Exclusive Rights
3 A & D Publisher Y A & D
4 A & D Publisher Y A & D

In this example, A and D created songs 3 and 4. Both authors transferred 50% of their publishing rights to Publisher Y. The authors retained the rest of their exclusive rights.

Songs 3 and 4 may be registered with the same application, by naming authors A and D as the co-claimants for these songs.

As mentioned above, a third party may only be named as the copyright claimant if that party owns all of the exclusive rights that initially belonged to an author of all of the works being registered. A third party that does not own all of these rights cannot be named as a claimant.

In this example, Publisher Y cannot be named as a claimant, because the publisher owns some – but not all – of the exclusive rights in songs 3 and 4.

Publication Information

All of the works that you submit with this application must be published on the same album. All of the works must be first published in the same country. And as a general rule, all of the works must be first published on the same date.

Note: Unpublished works cannot be registered with this application.

Limited Exception for Previously Published Works

There is a limited exception to this rule for musical works that were previously published as an individual work (such as a single) before they were published on the album.

A previously published work may be included in the claim if the following requirements have been met:

Example:

Title of the Works Being Registered Album Track Number Album Publication Date Single Publication Date Nation of First Publication
Mercury 1 6/1/2021 USA
Venus 2 6/1/2021 USA
Earth 3 6/1/2021 3/1/2021 USA
Mars 4 6/1/2021 3/1/2021 Canada

Tracks 1 and 2 may be registered with the group registration application.

Track 3 may be included in the claim, because that work was first published in the same country as songs 1 and 2. To do so, the applicant should provide the following information in the “Note to Copyright” space:


By contrast, song 4 cannot be included in the group registration application, because it was first published in a different country than the rest of the works in this group. To register song 4, the applicant should submit a separate application, deposit, and fee using the Standard Application. Click here if you need help locating the Standard Application.