Copyright Registration Service Package

Fee

$300.00

The above Copyright Registration Fee includes registration by General Counsel Online of one published work and up to 10 unpublished works of the same type by the same author(s). The Copyright Registration Fee does not include fees or surcharges imposed by the Copyright Office or expenses incidental to providing a deposit. See this page for a schedule of Copyright Office fees. GCO will estimate and invoice for these expenses separately in advance of filing the registration.

The Copyright Registration Service Package does not include recordation of documents associated with the copyrighted work (e.g., license agreements, assignments and the like). These can be obtained using the Document Creation Service Package.

Details

Value

Copyright is an exclusive right of the author of a creative work to reproduce that work for a limited period of time. Copyright protects everything from literary works to music and recordings to films and photographs to databases and even some aspects of software and design. It exists in all works of authorship from the moment they are “fixed” in a tangible medium (e.g., printed on paper or saved to disk).

To be clear, you do not need to formally register a work before you can claim copyright in it. In other words, you don’t need this Service Package in order for you (or your firm) to own a copyright. You obtained that right the moment the work was created and fixed. That right is enforceable in federal court, IF you can prove that:

a defendant infringed your work and that
the infringement caused you actual, ascertainable damages.

It’s item number 2 that makes Copyright Registration important and valuable to you as a copyright owner. Failure to register before infringement means that you must prove actual damages, which are usually calculated based on your lost profits. “Lost profits” can be very difficult to prove, especially in the digital world, where an infringer’s impact is difficult to sort out from the “noise” or day-to-day piracy.

If, on the other hand, you register your work before the infringement occurs, you may claim statutory damages. These damages are fixed by statue and typically range from $750 to $30,000 per work. In the case of willful infringement, statutory damages may be as much as $150,000 per work. Registration also serves as prima facie evidence of the validity and date of the copyright, meaning that a defendant would have to prove the works do not belong to you.

Your registration will go on file with the Copyright Office, and anyone can look it up over the internet. Not only does this mean that a would-be pirate is constructively ‘on notice’ of your intellectual property rights, but it also means that well-meaning persons and organizations can find you if they are seeking a license from you.

As you can see, copyright registration may be extremely valuable to you, especially if what you sell as a business IS your intellectual property.

Process

You will purchase a Copyright Registration Service Package for each work or group of works registered. You will be directed to complete a brief questionnaire and upload the copyright materials in question (if the materials are in physical form, you will need to mail them to us at our offices). We will establish a meeting and affirm your requirements, after which GCO will register the work. Registration consists in completing the application, providing a non-returnable deposit of 2 copies of the “best edition” of the work and non-refundable registration fees.

Services and Deliverables

GCO will help you determine whether your work is copyrightable and if so, will register it with the Copyright Office, managing any correspondence or other communication that the registration may give rise to. GCO will submit the registration on your behalf, together with any electronic deposit of the work. Note that if physical copies of the work are required, you will need to mail the copies to the Copyright Office, according to directions that we will supply.

Additional Terms & Conditions

This Copyright Registration Service Package is governed by the terms of the GCO agreement with your firm. You were provided a copy at the time you registered for a Retainer or purchased the Service Package. If you need another copy, please let us know. This Copyright Registration Service Package adds the following additional terms and conditions:

The Service Package Fee is refundable upon your request until the services are rendered, less payment processing fees, which are on average about 3% of the purchase price. If services have been partially rendered, you are entitled to a reasonable partial refund. The Registration Fee will not be held in escrow and will be treated as belonging to GCO, subject to refunds. Refunds will be credited to the credit card that you used to purchase the Service Package.
Copyright Office Fees are in addition to the Registration Fee charged by GCO. We will invoice you separately for the Copyright Office Fees and will file your registration upon payment of the Copyright Office fees. Copyright Office fees are non-refundable.