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Copyrighting Your Music
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At CopyClear, Inc., We are often asked, "How do I copyright
a song I have written?"
The answer…
Copyright protection is automatic under the copyright law.
An original song you write down or commit to tape is automatically
copyrighted when it is "fixed" in such a copy or
phonorecord.
However, it is advantageous to register your song with the
United States Copyright Office, because copyright registration
must generally be made before an infringement suit may be
effective.
If you choose to register a claim in your work, package
together the following materials in the same envelope:
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A properly completed application form (Form PA - See
Below);
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A non-returnable deposit of the work to be registered;
and
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A nonrefundable filing fee of $45 in the form of a check
or money order payable to Register of Copyrights.
Send the items to:
Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20559-6000
You may obtain Form PA by writing to the Copyright Office,
or by calling (202) 707- 3000, or you may download it from
the Copyright Office website at
http://www.loc.gov/copyright. When you request or download
Form PA, also request or download Copyright Circular 50…instructions.
Note. Two or more unpublished songs, song lyrics, or other
musical works may be registered with one application and fee.
However, the songs must be a titled collection, and they must
be by the same author (or there must always be one author
common to all the songs). There is danger here. Be sure to
read the instructions for registering a collection in Circular
50.
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