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Do you have to register your music with the U.S. Copyright office in order to be protected? Here’s some helpful information.
 | It’s good to retain your work tapes and
lyric sheets (with dates of creation). |
What does the law say?
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, “Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that is perceptible either directly or with the aid of machine or device.”
In other words, as soon as you finish a song or musical work, you own the copyright. You do NOT have to register a song in order to own the copyright.
Proof of ownership
However, if you ever have to prove you wrote the song first, you’ll need some evidence of it. You may have heard of the “poor man’s copyright”, where you mail a recording or sheet music of the song to yourself registered mail and never open the envelope.
According to the copyright office, “there is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.”
If you ever need to establish proof of a copyright ownership, one method is to simply play the new song for friends, relatives, or business associates: anyone who would testify in court that they heard you do the song on a certain date.
Also, it’s good to retain your work tapes and lyric sheets (with dates of creation). And always put © (your name, year of completion) on any copies of the music you send to others.
Registering a song through the copyright office is the best proof of ownership you can have. But it’s not an overly simple process and it can get expensive.
By far, the quickest way is to register online at www.copyright.gov/eco. Or you can request that a hard copy of the proper form (form PA for musical works) be mailed to you.
You are required to submit a recording or sheet music along with your application and payment. These can be uploaded if you apply online.
You may also register a group of unpublished songs as a “collection” if certain conditions are met. Consult the copyright office website for this information.
As a general rule, copyright protection for both registered and unregistered works is the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.
Bottom line
Should you register your music with the copyright office? In most cases, probably not. Registration is time-consuming and expensive, and it can get confusing and complicated.
If you know your song will be getting heavy exposure it may be a good idea to register it. But it’s certainly not necessary to register every song you write.
Even if you don’t register the music, the law is on your side. It’s unlikely your song will get ripped off, and even if it is, you’ll most likely be able to prove the song is yours.
Registering does buy some peace of mind and in some cases it’s a good thing to do; but it also can be a waste of time and money.
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