(2) A complete copy or phonorecord means the following:
(i) Unpublished works. Subject to the requirements of paragraph (b)(2)(vii) of this section, a “complete” copy or phonorecord of an unpublished work is a copy or phonorecord representing the entire copyrightable content of the work for which registration is sought;
(ii) Published works. Subject to the requirements of paragraphs (b)(2) (iv) through (vii) of this section, a “complete” copy or phonorecord of a published work includes all elements comprising the applicable unit of publication of the work, including elements that, if considered separately, would not be copyrightable subject matter. However, even where certain physically separable elements included in the applicable unit of publication are missing from the deposit, a copy or phonorecord will be considered “complete” for purposes of registration where:
(A) The copy or phonorecord deposited contains all parts of the work for which copyright registration is sought; and
(B) The removal of the missing elements did not physically damage the copy or phonorecord or garble its contents; and
(C) The work is exempt from the mandatory deposit requirements under section 407 of title 17 of the United States Code and §202.19(c) of these regulations, or the copy deposited consists entirely of a container, wrapper, or holder, such as an envelope, sleeve, jacket, slipcase, box, bag, folder, binder, or other receptacle acceptable for deposit under paragraph (c)(2) of this section;
(iii) Works submitted for registration in digital formats . A ‘complete’ electronically filed work is one which is embodied in a digital file which contains:
(A) if the work is unpublished, all authorship elements for which registration is sought; and
(B) if the work is published solely in an electronic format, all elements constituting the work in its published form, i.e. , the complete work as published, including metadata and authorship for which registration is not sought. Publication in an electronic only format requires submission of the digital file in exact first–publication form and content.
(C) For works submitted electronically, any of the following file formats are acceptable for registration: PDF; TXT; WPD; DOC; TIF; SVG; JPG; XML; HTML; WAV; and MPEG family of formats, including MP3. This list of file formats is non–exhaustive and it may change, or be added to periodically. Changes will be noted in the list of acceptable formats on the Copyright Office website.
