{"id":4961,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:49","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ability-fl-prod.internetbrands.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/intellectual-property\/effective-date-of-registration.html"},"modified":"2024-08-19T11:23:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T16:23:07","slug":"effective-date-of-registration","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/intellectual-property\/effective-date-of-registration.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Effective Date of a Copyright Registration?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Is the Effective Date of a Copyright Registration?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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Editorial Note: We earn a commission from affiliate partner links on FindLaw. Commissions do not affect the editorial integrity of our legal content.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n

\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Copyright protection begins when an original work of authorship is in a tangible form. Although copyright registration is not required for copyright protection, it has certain advantages<\/a>. It’s also a good idea to understand when the registration is effective.<\/p>\r\n

You can copyright many things that are original to you or your small business. These include musical works, visual arts, computer programs, motion pictures, performing arts, books, articles, poems, and other types of works.<\/p>\r\n

The effective registration date is when the U.S. Copyright Office<\/a> gets all the required elements in acceptable form. This is regardless of how long it takes for the registration process of the copyright application and for it to mail the certificate of registration. The time the Copyright Office needs to process an application varies depending on the material involved.<\/p>\r\n

This article discusses the communication you can expect from the Copyright Office when registering a copyright. It also gives a brief overview of copyrights.<\/p>\r\n

Acknowledgment of Copyright Registration Application<\/h2>\r\n

If you submit your small business copyright registration application form through the electronic Copyright Office (eCO)<\/a>, you will get email confirmations of the steps you complete in the application process.<\/p>\r\n

But, if you don’t do online registration and apply for copyright registration by mailing your paper application, you will not get an acknowledgment that your application has arrived. The reason is the Copyright Office gets too many applications in paper form to send an acknowledgment to each applicant. The filing fees<\/a> range from $45 to $500.<\/p>\r\n

There are some communications that you can expect to get, including the following:<\/p>\r\n