You have 3 months from first publication to register. File inside that window and you keep statutory damages and attorney's fees on the table. Miss it, and a $45 filing decision becomes a six-figure mistake.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
A reminder is the difference between recoverable damages and a copyright you can't enforce.
single-author, single-work online registration fee
U.S. Copyright Office fee schedule
maximum statutory damages per work for willful infringement, available only with timely registration
17 U.S.C. § 504(c)
window from first publication to register and preserve statutory damages and attorney's fees
17 U.S.C. § 412
Publication is the moment everyone is paying attention to the work itself. The book comes out. The album drops. The site goes live. Registration is paperwork you tell yourself you'll handle next week, then next month. By then you're already past 90 days.
The 3-month rule is not a soft guideline. Section 412 of the Copyright Act draws a hard line: register on day 89 and you keep statutory damages. Register on day 91 and you don't, for any infringement that occurred before that registration. There is no appeal, no extension, no back-dating.
Most creators learn this rule from a lawyer, after an infringement has already happened. At that point the only useful thing the lawyer can say is: register the next one on time.
If you know your publication date, set a reminder two weeks before launch. That gives you time to file pre-publication, which is the cleanest path. If you've already published, set a reminder for 60 days from the publication date so you have a buffer to handle the application before day 90 closes the window.
Use your actual or planned first-publication date. That's the day the 3-month clock starts.
An email a few days before the 90-day mark, while the window is still open and you can still file calmly.
If you don't mark it filed, BoldRemind keeps following up. The deadline doesn't move, so the reminder shouldn't either.
Three things ride on the timing of your filing.
Up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement. Without timely registration, you're limited to actual damages, which often means proving lost sales line by line.
How the 3-month rule works →Federal copyright suits routinely cost six figures to litigate. Timely registration lets a court award those fees to the winner. Late registration means you pay your own way.
What you give up →U.S. copyright is automatic, but you cannot file an infringement suit in federal court without registration on file. Registration is the courtroom door.
How to register →The deadline math, the filing process, and the myths that cost people money.
No. Copyright is automatic in the U.S. the moment you create the work. But without registration you cannot file an infringement lawsuit in federal court, and if you register after the 3-month window closes you forfeit statutory damages and attorney's fees forever.
Register before you publish, or within 3 months of first publication. Registering inside that window preserves your right to statutory damages (up to $150,000 per work) and attorney's fees in any infringement suit. Registrations filed later only allow recovery of actual damages.
Single-author, single-work online registration is $45. The standard online application is $65. Paper filing is $125. Compare that to the statutory damages you preserve by filing on time, and the math on a reminder is straightforward.
Processing times vary by application type. Current averages run several months for electronic filings and longer for paper. Your effective registration date is the day the U.S. Copyright Office receives a complete application, so set a reminder before you publish, not after.
Under 17 U.S.C. § 412, you must register within 3 months of first publication (or before any infringement starts, for unpublished works) to be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees. Miss the window and you can still sue, but only for provable actual damages.
Yes, you can register at any time during the copyright term. Registration is still required before you can sue. But for any infringement that began before your late registration, statutory damages and attorney's fees are off the table.
Free. No account. Get an email before the 3-month window closes — and follow-ups if you haven't filed yet.
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