Registering a copyright for a group of photos could cost as much as $30 more this fall, as the US Copyright Office has issued plans for an increase in fees. The announcement, however, comes with insight that the Copyright Office is looking into the possibility of subscription-based registrations.
The updated fee schedule isn’t entirely final yet – but if Congress does not enact any changes over the next 120 days, the proposed fee increase will go into effect this fall.
For photographers, the proposed fee changes mean that registering a group of photos would move from $55 to $85.
Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights and Director of the US Copyright Office, wrote that the fee change – the first in six years – called the adjusted fees “a reasonable inflation adjustment.”
“To maintain fiscally responsible operations at a level commensurate with stakeholder demand, and because copyright registration and recordation are voluntary under U.S. law, the Office sought to set fees that allow us to maintain quality services while continuing to encourage active participation in the copyright system,” Perlmutter wrote.
The proposed fee schedule also hints that the US Copyright Office is still considering the possibility of introducing a subscription-based option, which would give artists who regularly submit copyright registrations another option. The subscription option is one that commenters have regularly requested, the Copyright Office indicates.
However, the proposed schedule says that the current online registration system wouldn’t support a subscription option, but that the “Office is in the midst of building and enhancing our technology infrastructure," which could potentially support a subscription option in the future.
The proposed feed schedule submitted on July 14 follows a March filing that asked the public for input, and the Copyright Office has made a few adjustments since seeking public input. For example, the initial proposal proposed eliminating the single registration, but after feedback, the Copyright Office is keeping single artwork registrations.
In the US, photographs and other artwork are protected intellectual property at the time of creation. However, registering the copyright is required to fight any infringement claims in court.
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