Copyright Office Fee Study—2026
The Copyright Office has submitted to Congress a proposed new fee schedule for Copyright Office services, along with a supporting analysis, in accordance with copyright law. Congress authorized the Register of Copyrights to set and adjust fees to cover the reasonable costs of the Office’s services, along with an inflation adjustment to reflect expected increases.
The Office reviews and adjusts its fees every several years. The last fee adjustment was in 2020 and was based on a study of costs from fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Since then, the cost of providing services has increased significantly because of inflation and other factors.
The Office began internal work on this fee study in 2023 with a study of these costs, and proposed an initial fee schedule in a March 2026 notice of proposed rulemaking.
In July 2026, the Office presented a final proposed schedule and analysis of fees for Copyright Office services to Congress in accordance with section 708(b) of Title 17 of the United States Code. The analysis addressed fees for the most commonly used Office services, including those related to registration and recordation. Pursuant to the Copyright Act, Congress has 120 days in which to respond to the Office’s proposal with legislation disapproving it. The proposed fees would allow the Office to recover a greater portion of its costs, while keeping services accessible.