The Copyright Office released a report on March 15, 2009 that provides for increases in several fees, citing rising labor costs and current budget constraints. While the cost of basic online copyright registration (eCO) for most types of works remains the same, the cost of registering a copyright via a 2D barcode application will increase from $45 to $50.

The most significant increase for typical copyright filers is in traditional paper applications (Form TX, VA, SR, GR). The Copyright Office has proposed a 44% increase in filing by paper — raising the fee from $45 to $65. Critics contend that this unfairly penalizes copyright authors and owners without Internet access. Pending Congressional approval, the new Copyright Office fee structure is scheduled to take effect on August 1, 2009.  If copyright owners have registrations they have been putting off, now would be a good time.

A chart comparing the current and new copyright registration fees is here on the Arborlaw website.