There is as such no need to register your work for copyright because as soon as you create it, you become the owner of the copyrights, pertaining to the created content, automatically.

So, you should know that copyrights for your work are hence granted automatically under the law. However, let’s imagine your work has been infringed and you need to file a case under the law, now you would definitely need to register your work prior to claiming the copyrights, even for promo codes for example.

What are the works which can be registered?

You can register any work of yours including:

• Fiction
• Poetry
• Non-fiction
• Scripts
• Music
• Lyrics
• Photographs
• Drawings
• Websites
• Graphics
• Computer programs
• or any other recorded creative work

The easy steps to register your work for copyrights

1. Ensure your work is marked properly

First and foremost, you must have to ensure that your work is properly marked. You will find many useful guides to do this.

Although your work is copyrighted according to the law, you should consider adding a notice. That way you can look like a pro and people will surely not like to steal from you.

2. Preparation

You must prepare your work’s electronic copy to make a claim for its rights. There is a specific format in which you would have to submit your work. The copies which you submit to get copyrights are not returned, and they remain in the records of the copyright office.

The usually accepted formats are:

• CD
• DVD
• Blu-ray (BD) disc
• USB Flash drive
• Paper – including photographs, transparencies, and prints.

Note that the formats required are determined by the copyright office.

3. Copyright office

The copyright office requires you to fill an application form and attach your work along with it. You will have to pay to get documented rights from the copyright office. There are administration charges which you will have to fulfil to get your work copyrighted, indeed a cost spent by agencies to store and look after your data and work.

You might be thinking about the location of the copyright office. Well, there are multiple online and offline agencies which offer copyright services. You must choose carefully though.

4. Choosing the copyright office

Choose those service providers which have a legislative team and are recognized by state and are charging you fee according to the law. Different agencies cover different countries so choose the office which is functional at an international level, and all laws are embedded in the forms.

5. Submitting

You can submit your application form and work online and by postal services as well. You would have to pay through credit cards for this. If you have a collection of work unpublished, then you can register all of them by just filling up one form, but if your work is published, then the regulations will change.

What happens when you get the copyrights?

You will be given a personal account number and information about the work will be stored in the database of the copyright office. It does not matter if you display your work with your name or not. Many people publish work anonymously and also have the copyrights to it.