Congratulations on completing your work!
Let’s help you protect it.
Registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office ensures you enjoy the full protection and benefits provided by federal law. The prices below reflect a discount for Authors Guild customers.
This registration portal is for Literary Works Only. Before you proceed, please carefully review the following to decide which form is right for you:
Original Literary Work Written Solely by You
- You are the sole author and sole copyright owner of the original work.
- You were not hired to write this work.
- The work does not contain more than a negligible amount of quoted material.
- No portion of the work was created by artificial intelligence (AI).
- The deposit copy you will provide only contains text.
A Literary Work With Any of the Following Conditions:
- More than one author.
- Contains more than a negligible amount of material you did not create.
- Contains material other than text in the copy being submitted (e.g., artwork or photos).
NOTE FOR WORKS FIRST PUBLISHED IN PHYSICAL FORM
In addition to the electronic application with a digital deposit copy, the Copyright Office requires two physical copies be mailed to the Library of Congress. If this applies to you, RightsClick will email you the necessary shipping slip and instructions. If your work is unpublished or was first published in electronic form, there is no need to mail physical copies.
Terms to Know
Works Made for Hire – WMFH
If you were hired to write your contribution to the work, this may be considered a Work Made for Hire. Under this rule, the law considers the hiring party to be the “author” of the literary work and, therefore, also the initial copyright owner. The Copyright Office will only accept registration applications from the author(s) or copyright owner(s).
Derivative Works
Adaptations, remakes, spin-offs, sequels, and new series volumes are all examples of “derivative works.” Under the law, a derivative work is only copyrightable if it is lawfully made (i.e., the copyright owner of the original work authorized the derivative, or if the original work is in the public domain). The Copyright Office will want to know that you have that permission before it registers your derivative work. If your work is based on a prior work of yours, you naturally have permission to write the derivative as long as you retained those adaptation rights.
About Publication
“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.
Legal Definition: Publication results from the distribution of copies of a work to the public by sale or orther transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. A work is also “published” if there has been an offering to distribute copies to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute “publication.”
Non-U.S. Writers
Even non-U.S. creators of works must register with the U.S. Copyright Office in order to fully protect their rights under U.S. law. Read our blog on the topic.
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