Literary Works
GROUP REGISTRATION OF UPDATES TO A NEWS WEBSITE (GRNW)
The Copyright Office has implemented a new group registration option for published updates to a news website. Read more.
REGISTRATION OPTIONS FOR NON-PHOTOGRAPHIC DATABASES
The Copyright Office provides resources and general guidance about the different registration options for databases that primarily consist of non-photographic content. Read more.
GROUP REGISTRATION OF SHORT ONLINE LITERARY WORKS (GRTX)
The Copyright Office has implemented a new group registration option for short online literary works, such as blog entries, social media posts, and short online articles. Read more.
GROUP REGISTRATION OF UNPUBLISHED WORKS (GRUW)
The “Unpublished Collection” registration option has been replaced by the “Group Registration Option for Unpublished Works.” Read more.
A literary work is a work that explains, describes, or narrates a particular subject, theme, or idea through the use of narrative, descriptive, or explanatory text, rather than dialog or dramatic action. Generally, literary works are intended to be read; they are not intended to be performed before an audience.
Statutory Definition
The Copyright Act defines “literary works” as “works, other than audiovisual works, expressed in words, numbers, or other verbal or numerical symbols or indicia, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as books, periodicals, manuscripts, phonorecords, film, tapes, disks, or cards, in which they are embodied.” (17 U.S.C. § 101)
- Advertising and Marketing Materials
- Anthologies
- Articles
- Autobiographies / Memoirs
- Blogs
- Board Games and Card Games
- Book (Fiction / Non-Fiction)
- Catalogs
- Computer Programs
- Cookbooks
- Craft Books
- Dictionaries
- Dissertations
- Directories
- Educational Workbooks
- Fiction
- Genealogies
- Historical Works
- How-To Books
- Instructions
- Interviews
- Magazines
- Manuscripts
- Medical & Legal Publications
- Newsletters
- Newspapers
- Periodicals
- Poems
- Reference Works
- Research Papers
- Serial Publications
- Short Stories
- Tests
- Text Only
- Text w/Artwork included
- Textbooks
- Translations
- User Manuals
Resources
Video Tutorials
- Standard Application (Video: 10m 28s)
- Single Application (Video: 9m 58s)
- Submit Your Work to the Copyright Office (Video: 2m 46s)
- Group Registration of Unpublished Works (Video: 11m 50s)
- Group Registration of Contributions to Periodicals (Video: 6m 47s)
- Group Registration of Newspapers (Video: 11m 35s)
- Group Registration of Short Online Literary Works (Video: 25m 48s)
- Supplementary Registration (Video: 6m 28s)
Other Services
Paper Applications
Group Options
- Contributions to Periodicals
- Newsletters
- Newspapers
- Serials
- Short Online Literary Works
- Unpublished Works
- Updates to an Automated Database
- Updates to News Website