New Copyright Registration Option for Blog and Social Media Posts

July 21, 2020

The U.S. Copyright Office just made it more efficient and cost-effective to register a group of short online works, including blog entries, social media posts, and short online articles. This new filing option was initiated to accommodate works distributed online by individual writers. Several groups of writers petitioned the Copyright Office for this type of filing option since these types of short online works do not qualify as contributions to periodicals. The corresponding Final Rule published on June 22, 2020, and this new filing option is expected to be available in August of 2020.
Registration is now available for up to fifty short online works in a single application with a single filing fee. The works must be created by the same individual or group of individuals and must be published within the same three-month period. Once registration is perfected, each entry, post, or article will be covered as a separate work of authorship. Visit the links below for additional information related to this new registration option.
Group Registration: https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/shortonline-literaryworks/
Final Rule of June 22, 2020: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-06-22/pdf/2020-12041.pdf
Dustin Mauck focuses his practice on intellectual property and technology disputes, counseling, and licensing.
RegitzMauck PLLC is an intellectual property boutique based in Dallas, Texas. The firm focuses on providing value-based legal services to cost-conscious clients seeking high quality legal representation in intellectual property and technology matters and disputes.