What is a "Limitation of Claim" and why is it important?

Understanding Limitations When Filing Copyright Registration

When registering your copyright with the United States Copyright Office, you are required to indicate if the work you are registering contains preexisting material and identify that material within your work. If the preexisting material has been registered with the Copyright Office, you must include the registration number and year. The USCO requires this information only if there is an "appreciable amount of material" that:

• was previously published;
• was previously registered in the U.S. Copyright Office;
• is in the public domain; or
• is not owned by the claimant named in the application.

For more information, see Circular 50 Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions