Weighing in on an issue that has split the federal courts, a District of New Jersey judge says a copyright infringement suit cannot be brought without an existing copyright registration. A pending application will not suffice.

The Jan. 4 ruling, in North Jersey Media Group v. Sasson, 12-cv-3568, is a setback for the owner of The Record of Hackensack in its suit alleging a former reporter infringed on its copyrights in an article and three photographs.