Reading Room Document

Whether the Register of Copyrights has the legal discretion to deny the registration of an application for the renewal of a copyright in which the applicant has asserted two different bases of renewal which the Register considers to be contradictory.

The document addresses the question of whether the Register of Copyrights has the discretion to deny the registration of an application for the renewal of a copyright. The conclusion reached is that the Register does have the authority to refuse registration based on contradictory claims in the application. The document also presents the question of whether a single application can contain both "composite work" and "work made for hire" claims, and whether the Register can refuse registration based on both grounds. The document discusses the legislative history and administrative practice of the Copyright Office to support the conclusion that the Register may refuse registration in such cases.

June 10, 1974