How to copyright something you made
Updated November 13, 2026
You own the copyright in your work the moment you write it down, record it or save it. You do not have to file anything to own it. Registering is the step that puts your ownership on the official record, and it matters more than most people think.
What registering gets you
- You can go to court. For a U.S. work, you generally have to register before you can sue someone for copying it.
- More money if you win. If you registered before the copying started, or within three months of first publishing the work, a court can award set damages and your attorney's fees. Without that, you have to prove what you actually lost.
- An official record. A registration made within five years of publication is treated by courts as evidence that the copyright is valid and that the facts on it are true.
The steps
- Pick the right application. The Copyright Office has several. One work made by one person alone can use the lowest-cost one. Work made with others, or for a company, uses the standard one. Up to ten unpublished works can sometimes go in together.
- Fill it in. Title, year finished, whether and when it was published, who made it, who owns it, and what is being claimed.
- Pay the government fee. It is not refundable.
- Send a copy of the work. Most work can be uploaded. Work sold as physical copies may need copies mailed in.
- Wait. The Office reviews it, which usually takes a few months. If it approves, it mails a certificate. If approved, your registration counts from the day the Office received the complete filing, not the day the certificate arrives.
What cannot be copyrighted
Names, titles, slogans, short phrases and ideas are not covered by copyright. A business name or logo is usually a trademark question. See copyright, trademark or patent.
Source: the U.S. Copyright Office's Copyright Basics (Circular 1) and Copyright Registration (Circular 2).
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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Copyright Man is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We prepare your filing; you file it yourself on the U.S. Copyright Office website. The Copyright Office, not Copyright Man, decides whether to register a work. Fees and rules are set by the U.S. Copyright Office and can change. Its website, copyright.gov, has the current ones.