Complete Legal Maryland Copyright Forms For Free

How do I register my copyright? To register a work, submit a completed application form, and a nonreturnable copy or copies of the work to be registered. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section ?Registration Procedures., and Circular 4, Copyright Office Fees?. Where can I get application forms?

Which form should I use? Online registration through the electronic Copyright Office (eCO) is the preferred way to register basic claims. Paper versions of Form TX (literary works); Form VA (visual arts works); Form PA (performing arts); Form SR (sound recordings) are available on the Copyright Office website.

In general, all you need to do is create a work of authorship and write it down or otherwise record it somewhere. This will automatically create copyright protections. In theory, you do not need to own the original copy in order to own the copyright.

Well, copyright-free music is fine because it doesn't have any copyright, so you can't get a copyright claim on it. Royalty-free on the other hand does have copyright protection, so just because something is royalty-free doesn't mean it's claim-free!

Order forms and other publications from Library of Congress, Copyright Office- COPUBS, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20559 or call (202) 707-9100 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free). Access and download circulars and other information from the Copyright Office website at .copyright.gov.

Works consisting entirely of information that is commonly known and containing no original authorship are not protected by copyright. This could include calendars, height and weight charts, tape measures and rulers, etc.