Arts >> Books >> Books Other

How to Get a Copyright for Your Art

Not understanding the laws of copyrighting your art is simply setting yourself up for some kind of disaster. Think of how bad you'd feel if you saw one of your pieces on a wall or album cover with another artist's name under the credits. With just a small fee of only under $50, you can copyright pieces of art quickly and regularly. You'll be covered for your entire lifetime plus 50 years! $50 for that kind of coverage seems pretty cheap.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer Internet access Credit card or debit card
Show More

Instructions

  1. Getting a Copyright by Mail

    • 1

      Do Your Homework.
      Go to the US Copyright Office web site (copyright.gov) and learn as much as you can about copyrighting your art.

    • 2

      Browse to forms and open form CO.

    • 3

      Fill out the form and then print it out.

    • 4

      Sign the form.

    • 5

      Send in the complete form, a $45 filing fee payable to Register of Copyrights, and a copy or "deposit" of your work to:
      Library of Congress
      Copyright Office
      101 Independence Avenue, SE
      Washington, DC 20559-****
      Use the appropriate four-digit zip code extension to expedite the processing of your claim. (See the tip box for the correct code to replace the ****)

    Getting a Copyright Online

    • 6

      Register Electronically.

    • 7

      Log in to copyright.gov.

    • 8

      Click on the icon for the Electronic Copyright Office on the right hand side.

    • 9

      Click on the icon to "Log Into The ECO."

    • 10

      You will see a link to register online. Click on that and follow the instructions for registering electronically.

    • 11

      After you are registered, log in to the ECO.

    • 12

      Copyright a piece of art.
      After you are logged in, click on "Register a new claim."
      Click on the "Start Registration" button.
      From the start registration button, you will be walked through a series of web forms where you will enter information such as the type of art, the title, and you as the author and claimant. You will also be able to enter whether or not this is a pre-existing work. You can also click if you want to upload a file or send via mail. However, you will upload the actual file later if that is your choice.
      After you are completely finished with the form, make sure you review your submission before submitting it.
      Add the submission to the cart.

    • 13

      Paying for copyrighting your art.
      After you've added your submission to the cart, you can then pay for it to be copyrighted at this time.
      Simply choose "checkout" and then apply your credit card payment information.
      Fill in your e-mail address where you can verify the payment after you submit it.
      Click the "pay" icon.
      Upload the file of your art by clicking the "upload file" link.
      Make sure you read the restrictions and make sure you have an appropriate file type.
      If you want to mail in a copy, choose the "send by mail" link.
      Print out a copy of the shipping slip by clicking "shipping slip": This has the address where to send the copy of your art.
      When you are finished, click "Done."

+:
+:

Books Other

Related Categories