Everything you need to know about copyright.
Clear, accurate guides to registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office, written for creators, not lawyers.
How to Register a Copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office
A complete step-by-step guide to registering a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2026, the application, deposit copy, fees, and timeline.
How Much Does Copyright Registration Cost?
A breakdown of 2026 U.S. Copyright Office filing fees ($45, $65, and $85) and how flat-rate filing services price copyright registration.
How Long Does Copyright Registration Take?
Copyright registration usually takes 3-12 months to process, but your legal protection dates back to when the Office receives a complete application.
Do You Need to Register a Copyright?
Copyright is automatic, but registration is what lets you sue for infringement and claim statutory damages and attorney's fees. Here's the difference.
How to Copyright Your Photographs
A photographer's guide to copyright registration, including how to register up to 750 photos at once with group registration.
How to Copyright Music, Songs, and Beats
Every song has two copyrights, the composition and the sound recording. Here's how musicians register and protect both.
How to Copyright a Book or Manuscript
A guide for authors and self-publishers on registering copyright for books and manuscripts, what to file and when.
Poor Man's Copyright: Does It Actually Work?
Mailing a copy of your work to yourself ('poor man's copyright') is a myth, it does not register your copyright or give you the right to sue. Here's the truth.
Statutory Damages Explained
Statutory damages, up to $150,000 per work without proving losses, are the financial heart of copyright enforcement, and they depend on timely registration.
How to Register Multiple Works at Once
Group registration lets you protect many related works in a single application for one fee, ideal for photo sets, album tracks, and collections.
Copyright vs. Trademark vs. Patent
Three different rights for three different things: copyright for creative works, trademark for brands, patent for inventions. Here's how to tell which you need.
How Long Does Copyright Last?
Copyright for works created today lasts the author's life plus 70 years; works made for hire last 95 years from publication. Here's how copyright terms work.
What Can and Cannot Be Copyrighted?
Copyright covers original works fixed in a tangible form, but not ideas, facts, titles, names, or slogans. Here's what qualifies and what doesn't.
Work Made for Hire Explained
When a work is 'made for hire,' the employer or hiring party owns the copyright instead of the creator. Here's when the rule applies and who should register.
What to Do About Copyright Infringement
A practical playbook for handling copyright infringement: document it, send a DMCA takedown, register your work, and understand when you can sue.
Copyright Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the key copyright terms, from claimant and deposit to statutory damages and work made for hire.
How to Copyright a Logo
A logo can be registered as a work of the visual arts when the artwork is original, but wording, lettering, and familiar shapes are refused. What copyright covers, what trademark covers, and how to file.
How to Get a Copy of Your Copyright Registration Certificate
Certificates arrive by mail only. How to confirm a registration in the Copyright Public Records System, check a pending claim in eCO, order an additional or certified copy, and what to do if yours never came.
Can You Copyright a Song for Free?
Creation is free and automatic; registration is not. What the $45 and $65 fees buy, why YouTube, distributors, and mailing yourself a copy do not register anything, and when the fee is worth paying.
How to Copyright Software and Apps
Software is filed as a literary work with a source code deposit. What copyright covers (code, not function), Circular 61 deposit and trade-secret rules, versions and updates, apps with UI, and open-source notes.
Copyright Registration for AI-Assisted Works
Human authorship is required. How the March 2023 registration guidance and January 2025 Part 2 report treat prompts, edits, and arrangement, how to fill in the application, and what the Office refuses.