Frequently Asked Questions About Copyrights

In general, preparation of a copyright application requires the following:

1. At least two copies of the author's original work
2. Name(s) of all authors
3. Date of first publication
4. Date the original work was created

An author should place the © notice on the original work. Although such a copyright notice is not strictly required under the copyright law, if original works include the notice, infringers cannot raise the defense of innocent infringement. In addition, if works contain the notice, you may be entitled to statutory remedies. For example, you may be able to collect monetary damages and attorney fees to enforce your rights in court. Otherwise, you may not be able to obtain monetary damages or attorney fees, but you may be able to obtain a court order commanding the person to stop the infringing act.

The fee for preparing and filing a copyright application is $500.00, exclusive of Copyright Office filing fees.