How to Register a Copyright

Copyright is a protection that becomes effective the moment an original work of art, whether painting, print, photograph or design, is in a fixed form. Copyright stands as the indicia of ownership, but while copyright serves as a shield from infringement, it can be challenged. One of the best ways to insure you have sufficiently protected your rights to your artistic creations is through registering your copyright.

Why Register

Copyright registration serves several purposes for the creative mind behind original artistic work. This method of protection creates a clear public record that your are the owner of the specific work of art. Registrants receives certification of ownership (of the copyright) which affords the holder the right to sell, assign, distribute the work and also serves as prima facie proof in court of your ownership. Registration is useful in court and is the first level of evidence needed to file a claim for infringement and needed to seek reimbursement of attorney's fees and other litigation costs in an infringement suit.

How to Register

Registering your work with the United States Copyright, or other foreign Copyright Office, is a way of creating one of the highest levels of protection for your creative and original work of art and registration is basically.

The United States Copyright offers several options for registering your original works of art. Any writer or artist can go to http://www.copyright.gov/. Once there, you can select to register through an entirely electronic progress, download forms from online and/or download forms and mail all items into the Copyright Office.

With either option, you will still need to complete a copyright registration application. That application should identify your work, the date created, and appropriate contact information. On the application you will be identified as the contact person, application and claimant. If you use the electronic method, eCO, you have the option of setting up an account and saving your information. Doing this will save an author time when requesting future copyright registrations.

When filing out the electronic application, you will be required to pay a fee. If you file electronically, through the eCO process, your fee is $ 35.00. If you use the CO/barcode process, completing the Adobe/PDF form, your filing fee is $50.00. If you are devoted to the entirely paper application process, your application fee is $ 65.00. Your fees can be paid through secured online transactions or via check or money order forwarded to the United States Copyright Office.

Your application is not complete until you have submitted a copy of your work. Through the entirely electronic method, you can upload a file and related documents with your original work. The Copyright Office will give you the options for file types that can be uploaded. These options include but are not limited to Word formats, Adobe, and mpeg. For the CO/Barcode or other paper methods, a hardcopy of your work can be mailed to the Copyright Office. The number or form of the copy required is dictated by the artform. Requirements for submitting a copy of a movie is different from the requirements for computer programs. In either case, electronic, barcode or hardcopy, your work will be stored with the Library of Congress.

Once your application is received and processed, you will receive certification of your registration. This registration should be stored in a secure place. If you lose your documents, your can contact the Copyright Office and be provided replacement copies (for a fee.) The registration will be recognized by some foreign countries by virtue of the Berne Convention. The list is maintained by the Copyright Office. Copyrights are designed to protect creators of original works of art. While copyright protection becomes automatic when your work takes on a fixed form, you can bolster the protection through various ways, but the most advantageous way is through registration.

For more guidance on registering a work with the United States Copyright Office, check out the following links:

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-register.html

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf