With the advent of the internet creators have taken advantage of this “new medium” to continue writing and expressing their ideas. However short in their expressions, nowadays is the preferred way to reach the new generations of readers.
Copyright protection exist in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
Works of authorship include the following categories:
literary works;
musical works, including any accompanying words;
dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
pantomimes and choreographic works;
pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
sound recordings; and
architectural works.
A group copyright application was available only for Unpublished Works and only for up to ten works within the same application.
However, starting on August 17, 2020 the Copyright Office implemented a new Group Registration for Short Online Literary Works.
Under this option, you could register up to 50 short online literary works with the same application.
What are “short online literary works”?
A short online literary work contains between 50 and 17,500 words and is first published as part of a website or online platform, including online newspapers, social media websites, and social networking platforms.
Examples of short online literary works include poems, short stories, articles, essays, columns, blog entries, and social media posts.
The following types of literary works CANNOT be registered with this application, even if they contain 50 to 17,500 words and were first published online:
Emails
Podcasts
Audiobooks
Computer Programs (software)
Also, the works included in the application must be published within a three-calendar-month period. For example, you can register works published between April 1st and June 30th, but not works published in January, May, and October.
Works registered under this option, if the Copyright Office registers the claim, the registration will cover each work as a separate work of authorship.
A similar option is also available for Group Photographs where you may register up to 750 unpublished photos on the same application.
I have helped countless creators navigate the intricacies of group registrations in copyright law to secure and protect their intellectual property rights. I’d like to help you too by protecting your rights to trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights in the US and overseas.
