Draw On Legal Virginia Authors And Publishers Forms For Free

You automatically own the copyright to your book for free the moment you write down the text. If you want the added legal benefits of registering your copyright, you must pay at least a $45 fee with the US Copyright Office to go through the process.

You must identify the authorship that each author or joint author contributed to the works, and all claims must be the same (for example, ?unpublished jewelry designs,? ?unpublished illustrations,? or ?unpublished musical works (with or without lyrics)?). You must provide a title for each work.

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.

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?.

Copyright Practice Tip A book series of unpublished books can be registered on one application, the Group of Unpublished Works application. If the books have been published, each book must be registered with its own application, either the Standard or the Single application.

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.