Review Submission
The information you entered in the application will be displayed on the “Review Submission” screen. Carefully review this information before submitting your application. Use the links in the navigation bar on the left side of your screen to go back and make corrections if needed.
Important: You cannot make changes to your application once it has been submitted. Be sure to review all the information on the “Review Submission” screen before proceeding.
Once you have confirmed that the information is correct, click “Add to Cart” to pay the fee and submit your application.
Submit Your Works to the Copyright Office
After payment is confirmed, you will receive an email confirming the receipt of your application and payment. The email will be sent from the following address: [email protected]
To complete the submission process, you must submit one complete copy of each sound recording that you want to register. You also must submit a copy of any photographs, artwork, or liner notes that are being registered.
Albums published in a physical format or published both in digital and physical format
If the album was published in the United States, and if it was published solely in a physical format – such as a CD or LP – or published both in digital and physical format, you must send two physical copies of the best edition of the entire album. You also must submit any printed or visually perceptible material that was published with the album, such as photos, artwork, or liner notes appearing on the album cover.
If the album was first published in a physical format outside the United States (but was not published in this country) you must send one physical copy of the album as published in the foreign country, including any printed or visually perceptible material that was distributed with the album (such as artwork, photos, or liner notes appearing on the album cover).
If the album was first published in a foreign country and later published in the United States, you may send one copy of the album that was first published overseas or one copy of the best edition that was published in this country.
Albums published solely in a digital format
If the album was published solely in a digital format but was not published in a physical format, such as a CD or LP, you may upload your sound recordings in a digital form. You may also upload a digital copy of any photos, artwork, or liner notes that are being registered.
Uploading your works to the electronic registration system
When you complete your application you must provide the title and track number for each sound recording that you want to register. If you upload each recording in a digital format, the name assigned to each audio file must match the corresponding titles that you listed in the application. The file name should also include the track number that was assigned to each sound recording when it was published on the album.
Example:
| Titles listed in the application: | Album track number listed in the application: | Filenames for the digital audio files: |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday Party | 2 | 02birthdayparty.mp3 |
| Dinner Party | 4 | 04dinnerparty.mp3 |
| Wedding Party | 6 | 06weddingparty.mp3 |
If you plan to register photos, artwork, or liner notes, the file names for those works should identify the type of work you plan to submit. For example, if you plan to register a photograph, the word “photo” should be included in the file name. If you plan to register artwork, the word “artwork” should be included in the file name.
If you plan to submit multiple items, then the file name for each work should be appropriately labeled and numbered to distinguish them from each other, such as “photo 1,” “photo 2,” “photo 3,” etc.
Example:
| Type of work | Filenames for the digital files: |
|---|---|
| 3 photographs | photo1.jpeg photo2.jpeg photo3.jpeg |
| Artwork | artwork.pdf |
| Liner notes | linernotes.pdf |
To see a list of the titles that you entered in the application, follow these steps:
- When you reach the deposit submission screen, go to the section of the page labeled “Upload Your Work(s)”
- Under “case details” locate the word “Title.”
- Next to the word “Title” you’ll find the group title that was assigned to your claim. It starts with the phrase “Works published on the album” followed by the album title, as shown below:
Example:
Album title: Solar System
Group title: Works published on the album Solar System
- Click the link embedded in the group title. A pop up window will appear listing the titles for the sound recordings that you entered on the titles screen. Be sure to upload a separate audio file for every work listed in this window. And make sure that the file names include both the titles and track numbers that you entered on the titles screen.
Requirements for Digital Audio Files
Each work that you upload to the Copyright Office must be contained in a separate file. And each file must be saved in an acceptable format. The list of acceptable formats is posted on the Office’s website.
Each file must be uploaded one by one. Do not upload all of your works in a ZIP folder.
Note: The Copyright Office will not accept:
- Files containing multiple works
- Files submitted in an unacceptable file format
- Files uploaded in a zip folder, instead of one-by-one
Uploading Your Works to the Electronic Registration System
To upload a copy of your works, follow these steps:
- Click here to log into your eCO account.
- Select the “Open Cases” link on the upper left hand side of your screen.
- Locate the “case number” for your claim and click that number.
- When you reach the deposit submission screen, click the green “Select a File for Upload” button.
- A new window will open, allowing you to select one or more files from your computer. Select the files to be uploaded and click “Open.”
- The files you selected will be displayed with the corresponding application.
- Click the blue “Start Upload” button to upload the files.
- A progress bar next to the file will allow you to watch the upload process. When the upload is complete, “successfully uploaded” will be added in front of the filename.
- Do not leave this screen or close the application before the upload is complete, as this will stop the upload process.
- Once you have uploaded all of your files, click the “Complete Your Submission” button.
- You will receive an email from the Copyright Office confirming the receipt of your files. The email will be sent from [email protected]
Mailing Your Works to the Copyright Office
To send physical copies of your works to the Copyright Office, click “Create Shipping Slip” on the bottom of the deposit submission screen.
You will see an attachment link. Click it to open and print a copy of the shipping slip.
Attach the shipping slip to the copies of the album and mail it to the address printed on the bottom of the shipping slip.