INSTRUCTIONS: FORM VA

Works of visual art can be copyrighted with form VA. This covers a variety of creative visual products, such as fine art, graphic art and sculpture. Utilitarian work can only be copyrighted if its design features can be fully separated from its useful aspects. The website of the United States Copyright Office has copies of this application available.

Form VA Step 1: Include the title of the work in section one. If you are copyrighting a work of architecture which has been constructed, you should include the date. If an architectural work has not yet been constructed, write "not yet constructed" next to the title. Provide a brief description of the work, such as "oil painting."

Form VA Step 2: Section two is for the names of authors who have created the work. If you need to register the names of more than two authors, obtain a continuation sheet. While anyone is free to register the work anonymously or under a pseudonym, they must include the country of their citizenship and where they reside. There are nine categories listed for "nature of authorship." Check the one which best applies to the contribution of the author in question.

Form VA Step 3: In section three, record the year in which work on this visual art was completed, as well as the first date of publication, if any.

Form VA Step 4: The copyright claimant's name and mailing address should be entered in section four, along with an explanation if the person making the claim is not the author.

Form VA Step 5: If the work has been previously registered as an unpublished work, in a form which has since been updated and substantially revised, or was previously registered by someone else than the author, this should be noted in section 5.

Form VA Step 6: If the work is derivative of any previous work, note this in section 6a and explain what is substantially different in the work currently seeking copyright. Otherwise, skip this section.

Form VA Step 7: Enter the address where any correspondence can be set. If you already have a deposit account with the United States Copyright Office, enter it here as well.

Form VA Step 8: Check the box describing what form of copyright claimant you are, then sign and date the form.