How to Copyright an Original Song Online

Registration of the lyrics, melody and music of your original songs with the United States Copyright Office online is easier, faster and less expensive than the old method of requesting a form, completing the form by hand and mailing it in with written lyrics and a cassette tape or CD for registration. You can register as many songs as you want to at one time.

Things You'll Need

• Word processing document of original song lyrics and chords, if available
• Audio recording of song

Instructions

1. Create and save a word processing document that includes the titles and lyrics to your songs, putting each song on a separate page. For your records and the purpose of registering your songs, include the date when you wrote each song, even if you only have the year. If you have the chords to your song, include them.

2. Make an audio recording of your original songs. Record them with music or just sing the melody a cappella, but make a recording if you want to register the melody and the music that goes with your song, rather than only the lyrics. Upload the recording to your computer.

3. Navigate to the United States Copyright Office website. Click "Electronic Copyright Office." Read the recommended files, which contain FAQs, a tutorial, tips and information on acceptable file types. Click the icon next to "Login to eCO."

4. Read the security and privacy statements and click "Continue to eCO." If you already have an account through the eCO online system, log in. If not, click the link under the login area to register and proceed as directed to provide your personal information, including name, e-mail address, user ID and password.

5. When you log in, select "Register a New Claim." Click "Start a Registration." Select "Work of the Performing Arts" and click "Next."

6. On the next page, select "New" and then select "Title of work being registered" next to "Title Type." Type the title of your first song and click "Save." Click "New" again and continue this process until you have entered all the titles of the songs you are registering for copyright.

7. Follow the onscreen prompts and supply the requested information about your original songs.

8. Complete the application as directed. Select "Back" to go to the previous step in the application, "Next" when you are finished the current step and "Save For Later" if you need to complete the application at another time.

9. Submit your application, although you have not yet provided the song lyrics or recordings. This step occurs after you submit the application. Click "Add to Cart" when you are confident your application is complete and correct. Then, select "Check Out."

10. Pay directly from your bank account or by credit card. At the time of publication, the filing fee for a basic online claim was $35. After you submit your payment information, proceed to the next page and upload your lyrics and recordings. If anything in your registration is missing or confusing, the copyright office contacts you by phone or email for clarification. Allow several months for your request to be processed. The current processing time for an online registration is three months after which you receive a document in the mail certifying that your song or songs are registered with the Library of Congress, and you will be able to look up the records at the U.S. Copyright Office website.

Tips & Warnings

• Register by mail as an alternative to online filing. The filing fee is higher than for online registration and the response time is significantly longer.

• I highly recommend that you submit your songs for copyrighting before sharing them with the public. It's better to be safe than sorry!

References

• eCO: U.S. Copyright Office Forms

Resources

• United States Copyright Office