What is a copyright registration?

A copyright registration is a document filed with the U.S. Copyright Office that establishes a legal claim to copyright in a work. In the state of Washington, a copyright registration protects the creators of original works of authorship such as books, music, and films from having their work copied without permission. When a copyright registration is filed, the work is officially registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, DC. Once a work is registered, the author is issued a certificate of registration that they can then use to prove their ownership of the intellectual property. In Washington, a copyright registration also gives an author certain legal rights. This includes the right to reproduce the work, the right to create derivative works, and the right to distribute the work in any form, whether that be physically or electronically. Registering a copyright also grants the owner the ability to prevent others from infringing on the work by prohibiting them from copying, distributing, or performing any of the copyrighted works. Copyright registration is important because it provides the author with certain legal protections and remedies. A registered copyright gives the author the right to seek damages for copyright infringement — such as an injunction preventing further infringement, an order for the infringing materials to be destroyed, and monetary damages. Finally, registering a copyright also allows an author to enforce their rights in a court of law. Because of this, authors are strongly encouraged to register their works with the U.S. Copyright Office as soon as possible after creating the work.

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