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Registration of Copyrights
The formalities of copyright.
What is a copyright registration?
A formal filing with the federal government to identify a particular work as belonging to the author at a particular point in time.
Is a registration required?
In general, no. However, you must have a registration as a prerequisite to:
- Bringing suit for infringement
- Recovering statutory damages
- Recovering attorney's fees
Will disclosure of source code be required?
Yes, there is a deposit requirement. However, the deposit is a maximum of 50 pages of an "identifiable portion" of the software. Moreover, trade secrets may be blacked out (within reason).
What is the fee for registration?
$45 plus postage and any attorney's fees. There is a special surcharge for expedited registration.
