The U.S. Copyright Office is once again accepting applications for beta testers to submit copyright registration applications and deposits using their new web-based system, electronic Copyright Office (eCO).  Beta test volunteers receive a reduced registration fee of $35.

Volunteers will be accepted on a first come first serve basis subject to the following criteria:

·        Type of work, e.g., literary work, musical composition, sound recording, etc.

·        Type of deposit copy, i.e., hard copy versus electronic copy

·        File format, e.g., mp3, jpeg, pdf, etc. (electronic deposit copies)

·        File size (electronic deposit copies)

·        Frequency of registration

·        Published versus unpublished works

·        Individual versus company/organization

• Type of payment

This round of beta testing will continue to focus on basic registration claims for literary works, visual arts works (including photographs), performing arts works, and sound recordings.  If you plan to register at least one claim in the coming months and would like to be considered for participation in eCO beta testing, click here to go to the Copyright Office website to complete an application.