Copyright Office expands online services

Government Computer News reports that as of July 1, the public will be able to use the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) portal to submit basic claims and copyright applications electronically, make online payments and upload works being registered. For those who want to submit hard copies of the registered material, shipping labels can be generated online and printed out. The project has been beta testing since last July, and has gradually expanded over the past year. Since the beta test began, about half of the online registrations have been published works, many of them registered by large companies such as publishers. The other half have been unpublished works, from screenplays to photographs, many registered by individuals.