eCO Frequently Asked Questions

For general questions about copyright, please see Circular 1: Copyright Office Basics and the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Copyright Office website. 

Registering Works

Can I register a collection of works with a single application?

A collection of works may be registered with a single application if either of the following requirements is met:

  1. The collection is made up of unpublished works by the same author and owned by the same claimant; or
  2. The collection is made up of multiple published works contained in the same unit of publication and owned by the same claimant (Examples: A compact disc containing 10 songs; a book of poems).

What does “best edition” mean?

The copyright law (title 17, United States Code) requires that copies or phonorecords deposited in the Copyright Office be of the “best edition” of the work.  For more on “best edition,” see Circular 7B: ‘Best Edition’ of Published Copyrighted Works for the Collections of the Library of Congress.

What works may be registered with electronic deposits?

The following classes of works may be registered in eCO with electronic deposit copies:

  1. Unpublished works;
  2. Works published only electronically;
  3. Published works for which the deposit requirement is ID material (see the Special Deposit Requirements section of Circular 1 for more on ID material);
  4. Published works for which there are special agreements requiring the hard copy deposits to be sent separately to the Library of Congress.

All other classes of works may be registered via eCO (application and fee payment) but require hard copies of the work(s) being registered.

Registering a Claim in eCO

Do I need to configure my browser before using eCO?

Before getting started be sure to check your browser’s settings and make the following adjustments as necessary:

  1. Disable your browser’s pop-up blocker.
  2. Disable any 3rd party toolbars (e.g., Google or Yahoo Toolbar).
  3. Set your security and privacy settings to MEDIUM.
Which browsers does eCO support?

The eCO system is designed to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 and Netscape Navigator 7.02. 

Firefox 2.0 users must adjust the Tabs setting to “New pages should be opened in: a new window.” The Tabs setting is under Tools/Options for Firefox for PCs; the Tabs setting is under Preferences for Firefox for Macs.

The Safari browser is not currently certified for use with the eCO system.

Other browsers such as Opera and Konqueror may work with the eCO system.

What are the steps for registering a work via eCO?

Registering a claim to copyright via eCO involves three steps in the following order:

  1. Complete an application
  2. Pay the associated fee (Pay online with your credit or debit card via Pay.gov, a secure web portal operated by the U.S. Treasury Department)
  3. Deposit submission (Deposit or deposit copy refers to a copy of the work being registered)

Keep in mind that payment is required before the system will prompt you to upload copies of your work(s) as an electronic file or print out a shipping slip if you intend to submit a hard copy of your work.

How do I upload an electronic copy of my work(s) in eCO?

You should see a Payment Confirmation screen upon completion of payment.* Click the “Proceed to Deposit Submission” button toward the top of the page and do the following:

  1. If you intend to mail or hand deliver hard copies of your work(s), click the Send by Mail button. Next, click the Shipping Slip link that appears in the Attachments table to generate a shipping slip to be attached to your work(s). The shipping slip includes the correct mailing address and zip code for the class of work(s) being registered. To avoid misrouting, please be sure to attach a shipping slip directly to each work or set of works that you submit.

  2. If you intend to upload a copy of your work(s) electronically, click the Upload Deposit button. A window should appear that allows you to browse and select the file(s) you wish to upload and submit. The “browse and select” window will not appear if your pop up blocker is enabled.

*If you are not directed back into eCO from Pay.gov correctly and a blank screen appears, log out of and then back into eCO. Click on the blue case number associated with your claim in the Open Cases table at the bottom of the Welcome screen. On the Case Summary page, click either the “Send by Mail” or “Upload Deposit” button at the top of the page.

Is there a maximum file size that can be uploaded into eCO in one session? 

The eCO system has a 30-minute upload time out that, depending on your connection speed, limits the size of files that can be uploaded in one session. If you have a very large file, we recommend that you break it up into two or more smaller files for uploading. See the table below for guidance.

Network connection

Max. file size

 How many files can be zipped into a single file for upload in one session?

Typical Modem (56 kbps)

11.3 MB
  • 6 high quality (low compression) JPEGs taken with a 5MP camera
  • 3 three-minute standard (128 kbps bitrate) MP3 files

Fiber Optic Cable (2 mbps)

405 MB
  • 220 high quality (low compression) JPEGs taken with a 5MP camera
  • 135 three-minute standard (128 kbps bitrate) MP3 files

How do I upload multiple files?

The “browse and select” window in eCO enables you to upload files individually. If you have a large number of files to upload, we recommend that you create one or more ZIP files for uploading. However, please refer to the previous entry for guidance on the maximum file size that can be uploaded in eCO in one session.

Are there special instructions for packaging copies of my work(s) for delivery via U.S. Mail or express courier?

To avoid damage to your deposit due to Capitol Hill security measures, please package the following items in boxes rather than envelopes for mailing to the Copyright Office:

Also please note that CDs/DVDs packaged in standard full-sized jewel boxes are more likely to survive the mail radiation process than those packaged in slim-line case

Do I have to create a user account with Pay.gov?

You do not need to create a special account to use Pay.gov.  For payment via credit card or debit card, eCO will forward you directly to the Pay.gov credit/ACH (debit) card payment screen. Once payment has been completed, Pay.gov will redirect you back into eCO to complete your registration.

I register works that require hard copy deposits to satisfy Library of Congress deposit regulations. How do I do that in eCO?

You may create and print a deposit routing slip by revisiting the eCO website at https://eco.copyright.gov/eService_enu/. After logging in, click on the Open Cases link in the navigation bar on the right-hand side of the page, and then click on the appropriate case number (if you have only filed one claim, only one case number will appear). You should see a dialogue box that gives you two choices: “send by mail” or “upload deposit.” Click on “send by mail,” and you will get a routing slip to print out and instructions for sending your material.

How do I check the status of my registration?

  1. Enter the eCO system (https://eco.copyright.gov/eService_enu/) and click on the blue case number associated with your claim in the Open Cases table at the bottom of the welcome page.
  2. On the Case Summary page, look at the Activity Type and Status columns in the Updates table. If you see “Received” in the Status column next to “Upload Deposit” in the Activity Type column, then your file was received and accepted by the system. If you do not see "Received", then a problem likely occurred with the upload.

How do I upload my deposit? — (See definition of “deposit.”)

  1. You MUST disable your browser's pop-up blocker (if it is enabled).

  2. Revisit eCO at https://eco.copyright.gov/eService_enu/ and log into the system.

  3. In the Open Cases table at the bottom of the welcome screen, click the blue case number associated with your claim.

  4. On the Case Summary page, click the Upload Deposit button at the top of the page. You should see a dialog box with fields for browsing and selecting files to be uploaded.

If you have multiple files to submit, you may create and upload one .ZIP file rather than uploading files individually. Please note, however, that the system has a time out feature that will discontinue uploading large files after 30 minutes. Depending on the size of your .ZIP file and your network connection speed, it may be best to break up a large .ZIP file into two or more smaller ones.

My upload status is still “Pending,” what’s going on?

The record of your registration in eCO indicates that the digital file that you uploaded was received. Uploaded files are first captured in a server that resides outside the system's network firewall, where they are scanned and “scrubbed” of malicious code before being released. The status of uploaded files remains “Pending” until they are received by the system inside the firewall. If you return to eCO, the status of your uploaded file should now read “Received.” Your claim has been assigned to a registration specialist for examination and approval.

After paying in pay.gov all I received was a blank page, what do I do?

If you are a Firefox user, you likely have this problem because you did not adjust the tab setting. To remedy, Click on Tools | Options and deselect the option “a new tab” under the heading “New pages should be opened in.”

After completion, see instructions for uploading your file.

Troubleshooting Tips

How to Solve Browser Problems

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U.S. Copyright Office
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Revised: 08-Apr-2008