17 USC § 102 ◊
DMCA § 512 ◊
CO Reg. TX 9-411-002 ◊
Docket2026-04-209
Page04 / 07 — Copyrights
Copyright OfficeeCO online
Median pendency4 mo
HoursMon–Fri · 09–18
United States · Copyright Office · Volume IVPage 04 / 07
Your Business & Counsel · Copyrights
§ Volume IV — Copyrights — 17 USC § 102

Original works of authorship, registered to enable statutory damages.

Copyright attaches at fixation, but the registration certificate is what unlocks statutory damages and attorneys' fees in litigation. We register software, audiovisual, literary, music, and visual-arts works through the Copyright Office's electronic system.

[0001] · TX form

Literary works

// Books · articles · essays

Long-form prose, articles, manuals. Print or digital, fiction or nonfiction. Single-application or group registration for serials.

From $650
[0002] · TX form

Software code

// Source · object · script

First and last 25 pages of source (or object code under "rule of doubt"). We handle trade-secret redactions for proprietary segments.

From $850
[0003] · PA form

Musical works

// Composition + lyric

The composition (PA) plus the sound recording (SR) are separate copyrights. We file both as a group when both are owned.

From $650
[0004] · SR form

Sound recordings

// Master · session · podcast

The fixation of sounds — masters, session takes, podcast episodes. Group registration available for albums and podcast-series catalogs.

From $650
[0005] · PA form

Audiovisual works

// Film · video · YouTube

Films, episodic series, web video, training video. Includes deposit of full work or representative excerpts under § 408.

From $950
[0006] · VA form

Visual arts

// Photo · illustration · sculpture

Photographs (group registration up to 750 published photos), illustrations, sculpture, design drawings, fabric designs.

From $550
[0007] · TX form

Architectural works

// Built or unbuilt

Building designs as embodied in plans or executed structures. Two separate registrations may be appropriate (drawings + building).

From $1,400
[0008] · CA form

Compilations & collective works

// Anthologies · catalogs

Original selection, coordination, or arrangement of preexisting material. Common for publishers, anthology editors, and curators.

From $950
© 17 USC § 102
§ 02 / Process / 5 stages

From manuscript to certificate in five stages.

Most copyright registrations issue 3–5 months after a complete eCO submission. Expedited Special Handling reduces to ~10 days for an additional USCO fee.
[01]
Intake

Determine work type + form (TX/PA/SR/VA).

[02]
Deposit prep

Assemble best-edition copy or representative excerpt.

[03]
eCO file

Submit through Copyright Office portal with claim.

[04]
Examination

USCO reviews. Correspondence if questions.

[05]
Certificate

Reg. number issues. Effective date = filing date.

§ 03 — DMCA & § 512 Practice — Takedown counsel

DMCA takedowns, 512(c) safe-harbor architecture, and counter-notice.

The DMCA's § 512(c) safe harbor protects platforms that respond properly to takedown notices, while § 512(f) penalizes bad-faith senders. We act on both sides — for rights holders sending notices and for platforms designing their compliance programs and OSP designations.

  1. Pre-filing forensic copy and registration acceleration if needed
  2. Section 512(c)(3) compliant notice drafting and dispatch
  3. Counter-notice review and § 512(f) bad-faith analysis
  4. OSP designated-agent registration with the USCO
  5. Repeat-infringer policy drafting and § 512(i) compliance reviews
§ 04 — Numbers — DMCA throughput

What our takedown docket looks like.

We send and respond to about 600 DMCA notices a year for music labels, photographers, software developers, and licensing collectives. Most are sent within 4 hours of intake.

// Notices/yr
622
// Median TAT
4 hr
// Counter-notice rate
3%
// Bad-faith § 512(f)
8

Recent registrations & takedown actions.

// Selected · 2024–2026
TX 9-411-002
"Mountain Cedar Annual" — literary anthology, 2024 ed.
Reg'd 2025-04-12
Form TX
Registered
TX 9-518-844
Software — telemetry-router source code
Reg'd 2025-06-30
Form TX
Registered
PA 2-389-022
Musical composition — "Hollow Oak Suite, Op. 14"
Reg'd 2025-07-18
Form PA
Registered
SR 1-227-491
Sound recording — "Hollow Oak Suite" (master)
Reg'd 2025-07-18
Form SR
Registered
VA 2-301-877
Photography group reg. — Maartens 2024 portfolio
Reg'd 2025-09-04
Form VA
Registered
DMCA · 1,422
Takedown campaign — "Ridgewell" apparel imagery
2025-Q3
§ 512(c)
Removed
PA 2-455-091
Audiovisual — onboarding training video, 12 ep.
Reg'd 2025-10-14
Form PA
Registered
DMCA · § 512(f)
Bad-faith counter-notice action filed in S.D.N.Y.
2025-12-08
§ 512(f)
Settled
// Lead magnet · copyright registration audit

Free portfolio audit for creator catalogs.

If you have a backlog of unregistered work — photography, music, software, or video — we'll review your catalog and recommend a registration plan with timelines and statutory-damage exposure analysis. No fee.