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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 

–	 $35 for a single author who is also the 


sole claimant in a single work that is not 


made for hire
 

– $55 for all other online filings 

• 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 online even if you intend to 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Basic claims include (1) a single work; (2) multiple unpublished works if the 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. 

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. On your personal 

computer, complete the form for the type of work you are 

registering, 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 $85 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–PUB 

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: 04 ⁄2016 Printed on recycled paper	 u.s. government printing office: 2016-xxx-xxx⁄xx,xxx