Using eCO, the Online Copyright Registration System

Copyright registration may be filed by either the standard paper form or via the online electronic form. The Copyright Office's online registration system (eCO) can be accessed here. A separate online application or paper form must be filed for each individual artwork.1 The old standard paper registration form for Visual Arts has been replaced by Form CO. The paper form typically takes longer to process and presently has a higher fee than the electronic eCO form. The online registration fee is currently $35 and the paper registration (Form CO) is $45 per registration. (September 2008).

The eCO process is a straight forward screen-by-screen process for officially registering a work of visual art (or other copyrightable matter) online. It is an easy to use system, but some terminology and information may be confusing for unfamiliar users. Advanced collection and organization of the information needed for an eCO registration is the key to streamlining the registration process. ArtUntitled has created a worksheet for Copyright Registration for Visual Art that is intended to help organize and understand the information needed to complete an online application for copyright registration.

The artuntitled.com worksheet can be accessed below. However, if you are unfamiliar with copyright concepts and terminology, it is suggested that–as a minimum–copyright basics should be reviewed prior to using the worksheet or the official online registration application. Additional information and advice may be sought through a legal services provider, by self research on the Copyright Office's website or through other sources. The Copyright Office recommends that new users review eCO tips, eCO FAQ, and eCO Tutorial, all of which are found on the Copyright Office's website.


Go to the worksheet. (html, 5 pages)








Resources:

Copyright Office Main Website: http://www.copyright.gov.

See also, [Art] Work Made for Hire, Authorship & Ownership and Copyright Basics




1 A group form (GR/CP) exists, but it may only be used to register visual, literary and other works which will or have been published as a contribution to a newspaper or periodical, by the same author (artist) and claimant (person registering the work), all published within one calendar year, along with certain registration/deposit requirements. Such publication must be the first publication of the work. Also, works made for hire are not eligible for this type of registration. Completion of a form VA is required along with form GR/CP. Form GR/CP cannot be used to obtain the registration of a series of artwork, such as a group of paintings, which has not been published in a periodical as noted above. For more information about GR/CP for Visual Arts, see the official instruction and forms: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formgr_va.pdf

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