How to Copyright Your Artwork - 56juqingba: How-to instructions you can trust

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1 Registering Your Copyright
2 Understanding Copyright Registration
3 Protecting Your Work Online Other Sections
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Co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD

Last Updated: April 8, 2024 Approved

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This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD. Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013.

There are 23 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

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A work of art is automatically protected by copyright law as soon as it is created, and you are not required to register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office to protect your work. However, registering the work with the U.S. Copyright Office does provide one main benefit—in the event you have to defend your copyright, registration provides an official date on the public record you can point to to justify your copyright-infringement claim. Moreover, you cannot file an infringement suit until your copyright is registered.^{[1] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}

Table of Contents

Steps

Method
1 Method 1 of 3:

Registering Your Copyright

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- Disable your browser’s pop-up blocker.
- Disable any third-party toolbars.
- Set your security and privacy settings to medium.
- The U.S. Copyright Office has tested the eCO system using the Firefox browser on the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System, and advises that other configurations may result in less-than-optimal eCO performance.^{[3] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/58\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-2-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/5\/58\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/aid3057236-v4-728px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-2-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 2 Familiarize yourself with the eCO process. If you would like an overview of how to use the eCO system to register your copyright, take some time and read through the tutorial presentation offered by the U.S. Copyright Office. ^{[4] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} The tutorial will walk you through using the eCO system to file your copyright registration.
- A number of other sites provide step-by-step instructions on using the eCO system if you don’t like the government’s presentation.
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- As you complete the application, the steps on the left-hand side will get checked off. When all sections are checked, your application is ready to send.^{[6] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
- When you have entered and reviewed all information for accuracy, click “Add to Cart,” The amount of your filing fee will be displayed on this window. Review the information, and then click “Checkout” to proceed to the payment step.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/aid3057236-v4-728px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 4 Pay the fee. You have several options for payment. First, you can enter your bank-account information and transfer the required funds electronically. ^{[7] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} Alternatively, you can pay with a debit/credit card. To do this, you will be directed to Pay.gov, a website operated by the U.S. Treasury Department that handles payment to government agencies. ^{[8] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a1\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-5-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/a\/a1\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/aid3057236-v4-728px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-5-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 5 Deposit a copy of your work. The final step in this process is to send in a copy of the work being registered to the U.S. Copyright Office. Generally, you may only deposit a copy through eCO for works that are either (1) unpublished or (2) published only electronically. ^{[9] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} After paying the fee, click “Continue.” You can upload an electronic copy on the following screen. ^{[10] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
- If you have to send in a physical copy of your work, click “Create Shipping Slip” on the bottom of this screen, print the slip, attach it to the parcel, and send it to the address listed on the slip.^{[11] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
- If you are unsure of the deposit requirements for your particular piece of work, contact the U.S. Copyright Office.^{[12] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
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- Check your spam folder to make sure you do not miss anything.
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Method
2 Method 2 of 3:

Understanding Copyright Registration

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- Literary Works
- Visual-Arts Works
- Performing-Arts Works
- Sound Recordings
- Motion Picture/Audiovisual Works
- Single-Serial Issues (e.g., a single issue of a magazine or newspaper)
- For detailed explanations of the above terms, consult the U.S. Copyright Office’s guide explaining the different types of creative works.^{[15] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source}
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d9\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-10-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-10-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/d\/d9\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-10-Version-3.jpg\/aid3057236-v4-728px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-10-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 3 Determine if your work is published or unpublished. You will only be able to use eCO to register (1) any single work, (2) a collection of unpublished works by the same author, or (3) multiple published works in the same unit of publication (like a book of pictures). ^{[16] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} The publication status also determines whether or not you will be able to deposit a copy of your work electronically, or if you will have to mail in a copy to the U.S. Copyright Office.
- According to copyright law, a work is published if you have sold, rented, leased, or lent the work to the public. It is also considered published if you have offered copies to another party for purpose of further distribution, public performance, or public display.^{[17] X Research source 17 USC § 101, “Publication”}
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- Reproduce the work.
- Create new works based on the original work by altering it, changing it to another form, or building on it in some way. (These are known as “derivative” works.)
- Distribute copies of the work.
- Publicly display or perform the work.
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- The right to claim authorship and to prevent false attribution of authorship in other works.
- The right to prevent attribution of authorship for his or her works that have been mutilated or distorted in ways prejudicial to the reputation of the author.
- Certain limited rights to prevent the intentional destruction or mutilation of the work.

Method
3 Method 3 of 3:

Protecting Your Work Online

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- You can also consider adding your name to the filename when you upload an image.^{[21] X Research source}
- There are other technical measures for marking your digital files with searchable markers, and even for preventing any unauthorized copying or distribution, if you are willing to add the necessary restrictions on customer access.
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{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/29\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-16.jpg\/v4-460px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-16.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/2\/29\/Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-16.jpg\/aid3057236-v4-728px-Copyright-Your-Artwork-Step-16.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 4 Pursue removal of unauthorized copies. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the owner of a copyright may file an official notice for “takedown” of unauthorized copies being distributed on a server in the USA. The notice is sent to the “registered copyright agent” for the online service provider of the website and they must arrange for timely takedown of the works to avoid being sued.
- The online service provider is immune from lawsuit for infringement if they follow the required steps of DMCA.
- The works may be restored online if the service provider receives a proper counter-notification from the user who posted the allegedly infringing materials. You would then need to sue the user for a federal restraining order. ^{[23] X Research source 17 USC § 512}
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Tips

If you have any questions about or problems with your copyright registration, contact the U.S. Copyright Office at its toll-free number—(877) 476-0778—between 8:00am and 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time. ^{[25] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
The current processing time for copyright registrations filed through eCO is up to 8 months, and the current processing time for paper registrations is up to 13 months. ^{[26] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Generally, a copyright on a US work created and published after 1977 will last for the life of the author, plus an additional 70 years. ^{[27] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source} Determining the duration for works created or published prior to that can be complicated, other than works published in the USA prior to 1923. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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Warnings

Registering a work of art does not provide “blanket protection” for similar creations of yours. For example, if you copyright one piece of art in a series (e.g., one painting of a cityscape in a collection of cityscapes you have painted), only the work you have deposited with the U.S. Copyright Office is protected. You will need to register the others separately. However, you could (in theory) try to argue that an accused infringement is a “derivative work” of your registered version. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 2
There is no such thing as a “poor man’s copyright,” which involves placing your work into an envelope and mailing it to yourself, keeping the sealed envelope as “proof” of authorship. ^{[33] X Research source} This method provides little or no legal protection beyond having the dated copy you already had before you sent it to yourself, proving only that you got bad advice. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0