New Group Copyright Registration for Short Online Works
Have you ever wanted to get federal copyright protection on a whole group of your best hot-take tweets? Well, now you can! The U.S. Copyright Office has created GRTX- a group registration option.
With GRTX, authors can register up to 50 ‘short online literary works’, ranging from 50 to 17,500 words per work. As some initial requirements, the works must have all been written by the same author(s), and only text-based works are eligible. In addition, the works must have been published first online and within a given three-month period.
Works That Are Not Eligible for GRTX Registration
Emails, podcasts, audiobooks and computer programs are not eligible, even if they meet the other criteria.
Who Should Use the GRTX Group Registration Option?
So who is this for? The Copyright office created this option in response to a petition by several writers associations. It is primarily meant to help bloggers and social media posters.
Filing Fees and Benefits of Early Copyright Registration
The low filing fee of $65 covers up to 50 works). Online authors who generate continuous new content should be incentivized to secure copyright coverage early and often.
You can check out the Copyright Office’s FAQ on the subject here and Circular 67 Group Registration of Short Online Literary Works.