Legal Ease Articles

How To Register Your Copyright

By Jean S. Perwin

The easiest way to register your copyright these days is through the Copyright Office's website. The address is http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/.

From the copyright office's home page, click on publications and go to Copyright forms. Go to Download forms. The form to register photographs, illustrations, design or art work is the VA form. There are two VA forms available. The short form VA is for the creator and owner of the work. The standard VA form can also be used by creator/owners, but is also for work for hire situations or to register a copyright that has been transferred to you. Both forms come with or without instructions.

You can either download and print out a blank form and fill it in. Or you can now fill out the form on-line and print it out and mail it. Just follow the on-screen directions. When it's done, send it to the address on the form along with one or two copies of the work (one if it's unpublished-two if it's been published) and the $30 filing fee. In a few months, you'll receive a registration number. Keep copies of everything you send and when you get them back, keep your original registrations in a safe place.

A useful way to fill out the form is the fill out one form leaving the name and dates blank them make copies of the partially filled in form. That way, when you have to register something, you only have to fill in the name and dates and everything else is done. Don't copy your signature, though. It has to be original.

The site also gives you access to all the Copyright Office's publications and answers to FAQs.