Although your work is copyrighted from the first keystroke, you may want to pay to officially register your copyright. In our #5 Podcast, Literary Copyrights, I talked about registering your work for added protection.
Currently (Oct 2015) the cost for Electronic Copyright Registration for US is $55, and the filing process is much faster; however, if you plan to send by traditional “snail mail” the cost is higher with slower processing time.
Processing Time for e-Filing: generally, up to 8 months
Processing Time for Paper Forms: generally, up to 13 months
Helpful Tutorials
PLEASE READ:
- Standard Registration: Here’s a good tutorial for standard filing: http://copyright.gov/eco/eco-tutorial-standard.pdf
- Single Registration: http://copyright.gov/eco/eco-tutorial-single.pdf
Sign up
It’s very easy to do the copyright.
- Go to http://www.copyright.gov/
- Click the far left image “Register a Copyright”
- There is a lot of information here. Click Loc in to eCO. This will open a new page
- At the bottom of the login box, click “If you are a new user, click here to register”
- Just Follow the instructions for registration.
When you are ready to submit your copyright, follow the Copyright.gov PDF PLEASE READ: Here’s a good tutorial for standard filing: http://copyright.gov/eco/eco-tutorial-standard.pdf
What you need
- Name of all authors, illustrators that have contributed or own copyrights to any of the content
- PDF of the interior of the book
- PDF of the front cover of the book
Payment
The Copyright.gov payment form is secure and they do not keep your CC information on file. For eCO (Electronic Copyright Office) Frequently Asked Questions, please visit http://www.copyright.gov/eco/faq.html. It also offers some troubleshooting solutions should you have issues with your filing.
Below is a short (5 minute) video on how to register your copyright. I did not complete an entire process mainly due to not needing to actually register. Please note the video is from 2011, and some elements may be different. If you have questions regarding the process, please refer to the PDF guides, the Copyright.gov FAQ or contact:
U.S. Copyright Office
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
(202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free)
NOTICE: This video and article discusses basic legal issues as an intent of interest only and is not designed as legal advice. Consult professional legal advice prior to acting on any information contained in this video.
Please note the video is from 2011, and some elements may be different.
Great video, Suzanne! It makes the process of registering a copyright very clear! Great information, that authors might otherwise overlook! Thanks!
Thanks. It was fun to make the video – had a time constraint of 5 minutes, but the general process was understood. I will be offering at least one more article on Trademarking your Book Title. — And thanks for listening — Suzanne
Thank you for the informative video! It looks so easy, and the price is far cheaper than I imagined. I don’t know if you can answer this or not, but what kind of protection does the copyright registration give you above and beyond “once my fingers type the words it’s mine” ?
Excellent Question, Susan. The registration process provides a legal and public record of your copyright ownership as well as legal benefits in case of infringement. In fact, your work must be registered before you can take legal action against any acts of infringement. If your work is registered within 5 years of publication, your registration certificate is proof of the validity of your copyright. And if you register your work within 3 months before an infringement occurs, statutory damages could be awarded to you as the proven copyright owner.
For More information on the advantages of copyright registrations:
http://www.copyright.gov/prereg/
http://www.publaw.com/advantage.html