Library of congress copyright forms for songs
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MusicBootCamp.com
Copyright registration establishes the legal owner and/or publisher of intellectual property for works such as musical compositions or the lyrics for a song. In music, two registration forms are the most common. The PA Form and the SR Form.
PA Forms are used to copyright the composition itself, while SR Forms are intended to protect the sound recording of intellectual property. It is important to understand the difference between these two forms. Theoretically, you could copyright a terrific song using the PA Form, record your project and start selling your CDs in stores everywhere. But if you had never registered the sound recording of your song using the SR Form, another band could send in the very same recording using an SR Form and claim that your recording belonged to them. You would be credited for ownership of the song, but they would get the credit for all your hard labor in the recording studio and collect all the mechanical royalties! Hopefully that brief scenario shows just how important the SR Form really is.
The good news is that you can use the SR Form to do the job of both forms. Simply download the SR Form and, in the space called NATURE OF AUTHORSHIP, enter something along the lines of “All music and sound recording.” This w
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Copyrights vs. Trademarks
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In 1870, Congress passed a law moving registration of copyrights from the federal courts to the Library of Congress. In 1897, Thorvald Solberg, not yet a household name, became the first Register of Copyrights and served in that capacity until 1930. Today, the Library of Congress is still the place to go to register your copyright.
Your creative work is protected by copyright as soon as it is created and "fixed" in a tangible form such as film, a sound recording, etc. However, to fully protect your rights in a court of law it is vitally important to register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office, which is part of the Library of Congress. Having done that, you get a certificate of registration and your work is a matter of public record. Then, if it becomes necessary to sue to protect your rights, you have proof of the originality and authenticity of your work.
To register, you need to submit the correct application form, a non-refundable filing fee of $30, and a non-returnable copy (or copies) of your work. For forms and more information, contact the U.S. Copyright Office via the mail, online, by phone, or even in person.
The Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
There is a 24-hours-per-day f