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Application for an original literary work written by one author.

The application below assumes you are the sole writer of an original literary work that is not based on any prior work, even your own.

Actually, I need the other form.

Please have one of the allowed text file types of your work ready to upload before you fill out the form below. The electronic copy for this application should contain only the text of the literary work–e.g., no artwork or photographs.

Copyright Registration Application Form

Literary Single Work

e.g., the deposit copy does not contain more than a negligible amount of material created by anyone else.
“Publication” is based on distribution of the work, either to the general public or to a group of people for the purpose of further distribution, performance, or display. Merely displaying a work is not publication. The Supreme Court has said that so long as you make a good faith attempt to get the right answer, even if it turns out you guessed wrong, that will not be a reason to invalidate your registration.
Answer “no” only if the work was first published only in electronic form.

For works FIRST published in physical form, two physical copies must be mailed to the Copyright Office. RightsClick will email you the shipping form after submitting your application. 

You may either register a work under a pseudonym or register it under your given name and simply notify the Office that a pseudonym appears on the work. Pseudonymous works are protected for a term of 95 years from date of first publication or 120 years from date of creation, whichever is the shorter. Works registered using given names are protected for the life of the author plus 70 years. 

Your name will NOT appear in the Copyright Office records. Anonymous works are protected for a term of 95 years from date of first publication or 120 years from date of creation, whichever is the shorter.

For the rights contact, you must enter at least an address, email, or phone number. You may enter all three.

The Copyright Office permits you to add a note to the examiner if you wish. We recommend utilizing this only to clarify a necessary point (e.g., “the author’s pseudonym appears on the work”). Extraneous information can only serve to complicate successful registration of your work(s).

Confirmation per Copyright Office:

17 USC 506(e): Any person who knowingly makes a false representation of a material fact in the application for copyright registration provided by section 409, or in any written statement filed with the application, shall be fined not more than $2500. I certify that I am the author, copyright claimant, and owner of all copyright rights in this work, or the authorized agent of the author, copyright claimant, and owner of all copyright rights in this work and that the information given in this application is correct to the best of my knowledge.

Confirmation per RightsClick®: 

I acknowledge that I will be charged $69.95. This constitutes a non-refundable USCO Filing Fee of $45 and a RightsClick processing fee of $24.95. I also grant RightsClick, Inc. permission to file this application with the U.S. Copyright Office by electronically signing my name on my behalf. I further acknowledge that RightsClick provides this service as a convenience. All future communications, including the status of my application are my responsibility. RightsClick will also add my email to their mailing list.