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Registering a Copyright
Under current law, an original work is considered copyrighted as soon as it is put into tangible form. It does not have to be published or registered with the Copyright Office to enjoy the laws of copyright protection. Registration does offer certain legal benefits, however. For example, it establishes a public record of a copyright claim, and for works of U.S. origin, a registration must be filed before an infringement suit can be brought in court.
For answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about copyright registration, see Frequently Asked Questions About Copyright and the informational flyer Have a question about Copyright Registration? from the U.S. Copyright Office.
Registration Instructions
The Copyright Office provides detailed instructions on how to register copyright claims for various types of works. The instructions tell you what works fall into each category, what forms you need to send in, how much the filing fee is, and how many and what sort of copies you must send in with the application.
If you are registering a copyright, be sure to follow these instructions exactly, because if you leave one item out, fill in one space incorrectly, or otherwise make any errors, the Copyright Office will reject your application and make you start the whole registration process over again from scratch.
- Literary Works
- Register your book, manuscript, online work, pamphlet, poetry, report, test, automated database, computer program, or other text.
- Visual Art Works
- Register your pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, including 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional work of fine, graphic, and applied art. Also, register architectural work.
- Performing Art Works
- Register your musical work, dramatic work, script, pantomime, choreography, motion picture, or other audiovisual work.
- Sound Recordings
- Register your recording of music, drama, or a lecture.
- Serials and Periodicals
- Register your periodical, newspaper, magazine, or other similar work.
- Mask Works
- This protection relates to the three-dimensional patterns of integrated circuits on a semiconductor chip. It is not copyright protection, therefore the laws for mask protection differ from those for copyright, but mask works must be registered with the Copyright Office to be protected.
The following circulars and flyers provide further detailed for registering specific types of works (paper copies are available in Copyright Kit located under call number LC 3.4/2: in the Documents Reference section on the Third Floor of Willis Library):
- Copyright Claims in Architectural Works (LC 3.4/2:41)
- Copyright Registration for Automated Databases (LC 3.4/2:65)
- Copyright Registration of Books, Manuscripts, and Speeches (LC 3.4/2:FL-109)
- Cartoons and Comic Strips (LC 3.4/2:44)
- Copyright Registration for Computer Programs (LC 3.4/2:61)
- Contribution to Collective Work (LC 3.4/2:FL-104)
- Copyright Registration for Derivative Works (LC 3.42:14)
- Dramatic Works: Scripts, Pantomimes, and Choreography (LC 3.4/2:FL-119)
- Games (LC 3.4/2:FL-108)
- Federal Statutory Protection for Mask Works (LC 3.4/2:100)
- Copyright Registration for Motion Pictures, Including Video Recordings (LC3.4/2:45)
- Copyright Registration for Multimedia Works (LC3.4/2:55)
- Copyright Registration of Music (LC 3.4/2:FL-105)
- Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions (LC 3.4/2:50)
- Copyright Registration of Musical Compositions and Sound Recordings (LC 3.4/2:56 A)
- Copyright Registration for Online Works (LC3.4/2:66)
- Registration of Photographs (LC 3.4/2:FL-107)
- Group Registration of Published Photographs (LC 3.4/2:FL-124)
- Copyright Registration of Poetry (LC 3.4/2:FL-106)
- Recipes (LC 3.4/2:FL-122)
- Copyright Registration for Secure Tests (LC 3.4/2:64)
- Copyright Registration for Serials (LC 3.4/2:62)
- Copyright Registration for Sound Recordings (LC 3.4/2:56)
- Useful Articles (LC 3.4/2:FL-103)
- Copyright Registration for Works of the Visual Arts (LC 3.4/2:40)
- Copyright Registration of Visual Arts (LC 3.4/2:FL-115)
- Deposit Requirements for ... Visual Arts Material (LC 3.4/2:40 A)
Registration Forms and Fees
Official application Forms are available for downloading from the U.S. Copyright Office Web site. A menu lists the forms and indicates what categories of works each form can be used for. The Adobe Reader is required to view and print the forms.
The Copyright Office offers most of its forms in a fill-in format. You key in the information online, then print out the filled-in form and mail it to the Copyright Office with the filing fee and a copy of the work.
If you have difficulty printing the online forms, you can also request Forms by Mail or by telephone (202) 707-9100 [not toll-free].
Current Fees for registration of a copyright are posted on the Copyright Office Web site. These fees are subject to change, so be sure you check this page to make sure you are sending in the correct amount of money when filing an application.
Works that Cannot be Copyrighted
Some types of works cannot be protected by copyright and therefore cannot be registered with the Copyright Office.
Blank Forms and similar works designed to record rather than to convey information cannot be protected by copyright. Copyright does not extend to names, titles, and short phrases or clauses such as column headings or simple checklists. In order to be protected by copyright, a work must contain at least a minimum amount of expression. The format, arrangement, or typography of a work is not protected. Furthermore, copyright protection does not extend to works consisting entirely of information that is common property containing no original authorship, such as standard calendars, height and weight charts, tape measures and rulers, schedules of sporting events, and lists or tables taken from public documents or other common sources. An original work published in conjuction with a blank form can be protected, but the form itself will not be protected.
Ideas, Methods, or Systems are not protected, but a description, explanation, or illustration of an idea or system can be protected by copyright.
Names, Titles, or Short Phrases are not protected by copyright, even if they are novel or distinctive. The title of a copyrighted work is not itself copyrighted. Some brand names, trade names, slogans, and phrases may be entitled to protection under laws relating to unfair competition, or they may be entitled to protection and registration under the provisions of state or federal trademark laws, but this has nothing to do with copyright.
Computing and Measuring Devices cannot be protected by copyright because they do not contain original information. Examples of these include slide rules, wheel dials, and perpetual calendar designs. The lines, numbers, and symbols printed on these devices are also not protected by copyright, since their arrangement is dictated by an uncopyrightable idea, scientific principle, or standard of measurement.
Lists of ingredients in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not protected by copyright, but Recipes and formulas can be copyrighted if they contain substantial literary expression in the form of explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of them, as in a cookbook.
Designs for Useful Articles such as vehicular bodies, wearing apparel, or household appliances are not protected by copyright. However, the design of a useful article is subject to copyright protection to the degree that its pictorial, graphic, or sculptural features can be identified as existing independently of the utilitarian object in which they are embodied.