When is an electronic copy acceptable or required?

You may upload an electronic copy of your work if one of more of the following conditions has been met:

• The work is unpublished.
• The work is NOT subject to the best edition requirements.
• The work has been published ONLY in electronic format.
• The work has been published and identifying material is permitted or required instead of a hard copy of the best edition.
• You are using the group registration options for unpublished works, serials, newspapers, newsletters, photographs, short online literary works, contributions to periodicals, secure test items, or musical works published on the same album.
• You are using the group registration option for sound recordings published on the same album, provided that the album has been released ONLY in a digital format and has NOT been released in a physical format (such as a CD, LP, etc.).
• You are using the pilot program for registering a group of database updates that consist predominantly of photographs.
• The Copyright Office agrees to accept electronic copies under a grant of special relief.

Note: If you plan to use the following group registration options YOU MUST upload a digital copy of each work being registered. DO NOT mail a physical copy to the Copyright Office:

• Unpublished works created by the same author or co-authors
• A group of issues from the same serial publication, the same newspaper, or the same newsletter
• A group of short online literary works
• A group of contributions by the same individual that were first published in a periodical
• A group of test items that were prepared for use in a secure test.

For all other classes of works, you may submit your application and pay the filing fee via eCO but you must submit a physical copy of the work to the Copyright Office.

Read more about situations where an electronic copy of the work being registered may or must be uploaded directly into eCO here.