Three items must be sent into the copyright office in order to register a copyright: (1) an application form, (2) the registration fee (currently $30); and (3) two complete copies of the work (one copy in the case of an unpublished work or in the case of a published pictorial or graphic work in which an individual owns the copyright).

The Application Forms:

There are five types of application forms; four for the various categories of works and one for renewals. They are identified as follows:

• Form VA: Works of the Visual Arts (including pictorial, graphic and sculptural works)
• Form TX: Nondramatic literary works (including books, articles, poetry, and other nondramatic works consisting primarily of text);
• Form PA: Works of the performing arts (including musical and dramatic works, pantomimes, choreographic works, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works);
• Form SR: Sound recordings (not the written music or lyrics-- rather, the actual recorded performance);
• Form RE: Renewal of copyright in works previously copyrighted under the earlier copyright law.

Application forms and general information about registration can be obtained by writing the Copyright Office at the below address:

Information Section, LM-401 Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20559

The Copyright Office's Public Information number is (202) 707-3000, which is answered via an interactive voice mail system. The Copyright Office's 24 hour hotline for requesting registration forms is (202) 707-9100.

The Deposit Requirement:

Providing a specimen of the work for deposit with the Copyright Office is no longer a prerequisite to filing a suit for copyright infringement for foreign Berne Convention works. However, fines may be imposed on domestic registrants for failing to deposit a copy of the work.

Special deposit requirements have been prescribed for three dimensional materials, which must also be followed in cases where any dimension of the work exceeds 96 inches. These special requirements may be utilized in lieu of the usual requirement of an actual copy in the case of (1) an unpublished pictorial work; (2) a graphic work; or, (3) where an individual author is the copyright owner as opposed to an institutional owner, a published pictorial or graphic work; provided that the work has either been published and sold, offered for sale in a limited edition of no more than 300 numbered copies, or fewer than five copies have been published.

The special deposit requirements are as follows: one complete set of identifying materials consisting of photographs, transparencies, photostats, drawings or similar two-dimensional reproductions or renderings of the work, in a form which is capable of being visually perceived without the aid of a machine or device. When copyright registration is applied for for pictorial or graphic works, the material submitted must be at least 35 millimeters in size and if 3" x 3" or less, must be affixed to cardboard, plastic or similar mounts. All other types of identifying material must not be any larger than 9" x 12" (preferably 8" X 10") in size or less than 3" x 3". With an exception for transparencies, the image of the work must be at least life size, and, in any event, clear enough to show the entire copyrightable content of the work. Identifying material must indicate, either on the front, the back or on the mount, the title of the work and an exact measurement of one or more dimensions of the work. For published works, the copyright notice and its placement on the work must be shown clearly on at least one piece of identifying material.

If for whatever reason, the deposit requirement of the copyright law is burdensome, contact the Copyright Office or a copyright attorney for further information.