Registering a Copyright with 

the U.S. Copyright Office

An application for copyright registration contains three essential elements: a completed application 

form, a nonrefundable filing fee, and a nonreturnable deposit—that is, a copy or copies of the work 

being registered and “deposited” with the Copyright Office.

When the Copyright Office issues a registration certificate, it assigns as the effective date of 

registration the date it received all required elements in acceptable form, regardless of how long it 

took to process the application and mail the certificate of registration. The time needed to process 

applications varies depending on the amount of material the Office is receiving and the 

method of application.

You can apply to register your copyright in one of two ways.

Online Application

Online registration through the electronic 

Copyright Office (eCO) is the preferred way to 

register basic claims for literary works; visual 

arts works; performing arts works, including 

motion pictures; sound recordings; and 

single serials. Advantages 

of online filing include:

•	 a lower filing fee of $35

•	 the fastest processing time

•	 online status tracking

•	 secure payment by credit or debit

card, electronic check, or Copyright Office 

deposit account

•	 the ability to upload certain categories of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files 

note: You can still register using eCO and save money even if 

you submit a hard-copy deposit. 

Basic claims include (1) a single work; (2) multiple unpublished 

works if the elements are assembled in an orderly form; the combined 

elements bear a single title identifying the collection as a whole; the copyright 

claimant in all the elements and in the collection as a whole is the same; and all 

the elements are by the same author or, if they are by different authors, at least one of 

the authors has contributed copyrightable authorship to each element; and (3) multiple

published works if they are all first published together in the same publication on the same 

date and owned by the same claimant.

To access eCO, go to the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov and click on electronic 

Copyright Office.

w
Paper Application

You can also register your copyright using fill-in forms TX

(literary works); VA (visual arts works); PA (performing arts 

works, including motion pictures); SR (sound recordings); 

and SE (single serials). To access these forms, go to the Copyright Office website and click on Forms. Complete the form 

for the type of work you are registering on your personal 

computer, print it out, and sign and mail it with a check 

or money order and your deposit. Blank forms can also be 

printed out and completed by hand or requested by postal 

mail (limit of two copies of each form by mail). The fee for a 

basic registration using one of these forms is $65 payable by

check or money order. The higher fee compared with online 

registration reflects the higher labor cost to process claims 

submitted on paper. 

Applications That Must Be Completed on Paper

Certain applications must be completed on paper and 

mailed to the Copyright Office with the appropriate fee and 

deposit. Forms for these applications include

•	 Form CA for correction or amplification of information 

in a registration

•	 Form D-VH for registration of vessel hull designs

•	 Form MW for registration of mask works

•	 Form GATT for registration of works in which the U.S. 

copyright was restored under the 1994 Uruguay Round 

Agreements Act

•	 Form RE for renewal of copyright claims, and 

•	 Forms for group submissions.

To access these forms, go to the Copyright Office website 

and click on Forms. Complete the form for the type of work 

you are registering on your personal computer, print it out, 

and sign and mail it with a check or money order and your 

deposit. Blank forms can also be printed out and completed 

by hand or requested by postal mail (limit of two copies of 

each form by mail). Current registration fees for these types 

of applications are available on the Copyright Office website 

or by phone.

For Further Information

By Internet

Informational circulars, announcements, regulations, all 

application forms, and other materials are available from the 

Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov. 

By Telephone

For general information about copyright, call the Copyright 

Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-

0778 (toll free). Staff members are on duty from 8:30 am

to 5:00 pm, eastern time, Monday through Friday, except 

federal holidays. Recorded information is available 24 hours 

a day. To request paper application forms or circulars, call 

(202) 707-9100 and leave a message. 

By Regular Mail

Write to

Library of Congress

Copyright Office–COPUBS

101 Independence Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20559

Library of Congress • U.S. Copyright Office • 101 Independence Avenue SE • Washington, DC 20559 • (202) 707-3000 • www.copyright.gov

sl-35:  reviewed: 05 ⁄ 2013 Printed on recycled paper u.s. government printing office: 2013-xxx-xxx⁄xx,xxx