Registration is a three-part process: application, fee, and deposit copy. Most work is done through the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) at copyright.gov. Here's the full sequence, what each form covers, and the deadlines that govern the timing.
eCO routes you automatically — but knowing the form upfront helps you prepare the right deposit copy.
Form TX (literary works). Includes novels, nonfiction, poetry, blog posts, computer source code, and most online text content.
Form PA for the underlying composition (lyrics + melody). Form SR for the sound recording. Often you register both — they're separate copyrights.
Form VA (visual arts). Photographers can use the group registration for photographs (GRPPH) to register up to 750 photos in one filing.
Filed by content type, not as "a website." Text content uses TX, images use VA. The site as a whole isn't registrable — you register the protectable elements separately.
Form PA. Covers the audiovisual work as a whole — script, footage, soundtrack as recorded in the film. The underlying screenplay can be separately registered.
Form SE for individual issues. Group registration is available for serials published at intervals of a week or longer. Useful for newsletters and journals.
The application itself is straightforward. The two places people get stuck are the deposit copy and the publication status. Get those right and the rest is clicking through.
For published works the Office often wants the "best edition" — usually a physical copy of the published version. Submitting a draft instead of the published edition can trigger a refusal.
"Publication" has a specific legal meaning: distributing copies to the public. Sharing privately, sending review copies, or pre-orders may or may not count. When in doubt, the Office's Compendium has the definition.
The author is the person who created the work. The claimant is the current rights holder. They're often the same person but not always — especially for work-for-hire and assigned rights.
The hardest part of registration isn't the eCO interface. It's remembering to do it before the 3-month window closes. Set a reminder for around day 60 after publication and you'll have time to gather your deposit copy, double-check the form, and file without a deadline panic.
See the full copyright registration reminder page for context, or read what happens if you don't register to see exactly what's at stake.
Set a reminder before you file — give yourself the buffer.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
Three steps: complete an application through the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) at copyright.gov, pay the filing fee, and submit a deposit copy of the work. The whole process is done online for most works. Paper filing is available but slower and more expensive.
A single author registering a single work online pays $45. The standard online application (multiple authors, multiple works, or other complexity) is $65. Paper Forms PA, SR, TX, and VA are $125. The Copyright Office periodically reviews and adjusts these fees, so check the current schedule at copyright.gov before filing.
Processing times vary by application type and current Office workload. Electronic registrations typically process in several months, paper filings take longer. The good news: your effective registration date is the day the Office receives a complete application, not the day they finish processing it.
It depends on the work. For most digital works, you upload a copy through eCO. For some published works, the Office requires physical "best edition" copies mailed in. The Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices spells out the deposit requirements by work type — check before you file.
eCO determines the form based on what you tell it about the work. Books and articles fall under TX (literary works). Songs fall under SR (sound recordings) or PA (performing arts) depending on whether you're registering the recording, the composition, or both. Websites typically use TX for literary content or VA for visual content. eCO walks you through the right path.
Yes, in some cases. The Copyright Office offers group registrations for unpublished works (up to 10), photographs (published or unpublished, up to 750), short online articles, serials, and a few other categories. Each has specific rules. Group registration is cheaper per work and useful if you produce regularly.
The 3-month deadline is real and it doesn't move. A reminder gives you time to file calmly, not in a panic. Free, no account.
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