IPA - Copyright Registration Instructions & Forms


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May 2001

Copyright Registration is a simple process. It is also very inexpensive
for the inestimable value it provides your intellectual property. To
register your work, you must fill out the appropriate form, make a
deposit of the work for which copyright is sought, and pay the
registration fee.

Registering your work as unpublished is one way to simplify the task. This
timely method preserves statutory rights and relieves an illustrator from
the deposit requirement of a printed sample within three months of
publication (a potentially unrealistic requirement). This method also
allows for group registration of multiple works, all on one form for a
single $45.00 fee.

We've filled out the forms for you already. You just need to edit the
information to reflect your personal data.

- Fill out the VA Form, for registration of Visual Artwork. Attach the CON
Form to list multiple works. Save the editable PDF file of the VA and CON
Forms. Once filled out, for each successive registration, you need only
change the date, the name of the collection and the list of works. This
greatly streamlines your paperwork burden.

- The US Copyright Office accepts many different formats as deposit
material. Examples include inkjet prints, CD-ROM, digital and traditional
photos, Polaroids, and video. Use a deposit method that easily integrates
into your workflow.

- Attach the registration fee of $45.00.

- Send to Copyright Office by commercial carrier*. Be sure to register
before publication. Develop a system that works for your workflow. Your
work is registered from the moment the Copyright Office receives your
acceptable application, deposit and fee, regardless of how long the
Copyright Office may take to process the Certificate.

- Keep a duplicate copy of the VA and CON forms, a duplicate copy of your
artwork deposit, and your delivery proof.

- Within 3-9 months you will receive back your Certificate of Registration
with a VAu Registration number.

VA Form - For
registering a work of the Visual Arts (pdf)
CON Form —
Continuation Sheet (pdf)
Printing Solutions for PDF forms -
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/print.html" class="bodyCopyLink" target="_blank">
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/print.html

For more information about how to protect your copyrights please read
Controlling your
Intellectual Property (pdf)

* Until further notice, The Copyright Office is diverting all US Mail and
commercial carrier submissions to an off-site security screening facility,
resulting in processing delays. The Copyright Office may accept same-day
registration if the application is hand-carried to the Office. Please
check the Copyright Office website for current updates:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/index.html" class="bodyCopyLink" target="_blank">
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/index.html