Page:Copyright Office Compendium 3rd Edition - Full.djvu/320

, Third Edition 620.10(C)(4)&emsp;Transfer or Possession of Material Object

The U.S. Copyright Office will not accept a that merely refers to the, ownership, or possession of a material object in which the work has been. Ownership or possession of a copy or phonorecord does not convey any rights in the copyright, nor does the transfer of ownership of the copyright convey property rights in any material object in which the work has been fixed (absent an agreement to that effect). 17 U.S.C. § 202.

"Examples:


 * I bought this painting.
 * Mary Monks sent me this video.
 * I found this diary in the attic.
 * I discovered these papers in a warehouse.
 * I bought this sculpture at an auction.
 * The author sent me these love letters when we were in high school.
 * The author asked me to keep these pictures for him."

620.10(D)&emsp;No Transfer Statement Given

As a general rule, if the name provided in the Name of Author field/space differs from the name provided in the Name of Claimant field/space, the will communicate with the  if the applicant fails to provide a. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which are discussed in Sections 620.10(D)(1) through 620.10(D)(2) below.

620.10(D)(1)&emsp;Copyright Transferred by Inheritance or by Operation of Law

As a general rule, an application may be accepted without a if it is clear from the relationship described that the copyright was transferred to the  by inheritance or by operation of law.

620.10(D)(1)(a)&emsp;Inheritance

The may accept an application without a  if the author is deceased and it is clear that the  is the author’s heir.

ExampleExamples [sic]:

Chapter 600 : 188
 * An application is submitted for a pictorial work. The states that the author is deceased and names the claimant as “Joanne Chan (heiress).” The registration specialist may register the, even if the applicant fails to provide a transfer statement.}}