How To Copyright Your Content or Artwork (In The US)

In this post, l will quickly walk you through the 5 steps that you need to take in order to copyright your content or artwork in the US.

Thus, follow through the steps if you're interested in this topic.

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1. Visit a website called copyright.gov

The first step is to go to www.copyright.gov – which is a platform that allows you to apply for a copyright online.

Although the site looks old, it's still a helpful platform when it comes to copyright application.

2. Create An Account

Once you're on this site, it's important to create an account.

Without an account, you wont be able to apply for a copyright – thus, it's important to create one ASAP!

3. Register For A Copyright

Once you've created an account, it's now high time to start the registration process.

Simply fill out your details on the forms provided on the site i.e. copyright name, logo, tag line, or any other piece of artwork/content that you want to copyright.

The process costs 55 bucks – and you can copyright as many items as you want i.e. as long as they can fit on the application.

Thus, you can think of all the business elements that you want to copyright & you include them all in one application.

4. Follow Up

Once you’ve submitted your application, you need to do some follow ups – so that your application wont get stuck in the process.

As we all know, most applications that involves the government or council takes longer to get approved due to long approval processes (bureaucracy).

Thus, if you just sit at home – waiting for your application to get approved, you might wait forever.

Although it usually takes anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks, it's still important to do some follow ups on a regular basis – so as to speed up the process.

5. Get Your Certificate Of Registration

Assuming that your application gets approved, you'll get a certificate of registration – sealed with the US copyright seal – in order to certify that you own the rights to that piece of content or artwork.

It also includes information like the copyright name, reg number, date of registration, etc.

However, if your application was unsuccessful, you'll be given a number of reasons why it was rejected.

You'll need to address those objections – and reapply in order to get approved.

Wrapping Up

So these are the 5 steps that you need to take in order to register for a copyright.

Although most people uses a lawyer, you can do this process on your own i.e. if you're willing to put-in the work.

Related

The 5 Step Process For Trademark Registration

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