Read Tips for using eCO

June 15, 2012 Release

• For submissions accompanied by electronic copies of the work being registered You will be prompted to click an “Upload Complete“ button after you have finished uploading all electronic files for the work being registered. Once you have clicked the button, the system will not allow you to upload additional files for that application.

• The effective date of your registration will be delayed and Copyright Office staff will not be able to process your claim until you confirm completeness of your submission.  If you don’t click “Upload Complete,” you will receive an email reminder after 60 days has elapsed.

• For submissions accompanied by physical copies of the work being registered The system will send you an email reminder if we have not received the material within 60 days after receipt of your application and payment.

Jul 29, 2011 Release

• Single Serial Issue application changes: We have made changes to the eCO screens to give the public an opportunity to clarify the extent of the registration for collective works. Previously, the “Author Created” screen included the option “collective work that may include text, editing, compilation, and contribution(s) in which copyright has been transferred to the claimant”. Because some courts have concluded that certificates of registration that do not name the authors and titles of each contribution to a collective work do not extend to those individual contributions, we have amended the screens to clarify whether an application is intended to cover the compilation (that is, the selection and arrangement of contributions), the contribution(s) to a collective work, or both. You will now be asked to check one or both of the following boxes: “Compilation” and “Contribution(s) to a Collective Work (e.g., an article).” You may also check “Other” to briefly state (in general terms) authorship that is not covered by the boxes provided and for which you seek this registration, or to specify the title(s) of one or more specific contributions by the named author. For more information and instructions, please click on the Help links on the Author and Claimant screens.
  
  The Copyright Office has had a longstanding practice of accepting “collective     work” as an authorship statement for serial registrations. These registrations may cover (a) the collective work authorship, (b) any contribution created by an   employee or other party commissioned by the author of a work made for hire, and (c) any other contributions that the claimant of the serial as a whole obtained by transfer.
  
  Recently, several lower federal courts have ruled that that certain database registrations did not extend to any contributions by authors who were not explicitly named on the application. Two of those decisions have been appealed. Although the Copyright Office has not changed its practice because of these rulings, we wanted to give you the opportunity to determine whether you wish to name all of the authors of independent contributions in which all rights have been transferred to the claimant in the serial publication in order to avoid the possibility that a court may conclude that your registration does not extend to the individual contributions in the serials.

• Author and Claimant screens will no longer include a “Doing Business As” field. In instances where the author or claimant is known by another name, this information may be entered as a “Note to Copyright Office” on the Certification screen.
  
  Note: if you use a previously saved template that included names in the “Doing Business As” field, these will not be visible when you review the application. Follow the instructions above to add the information. See below for instructions on replacing the previous template with a new one.

• On the Author Created and Limitation of Claim screens for Works of the Visual Arts, “Map” and “Technical Drawing” will be separate check boxes (previously a single “Map/Technical Drawing” check box). The “Sculpture/3D artwork” checkbox will be updated to “Sculpture.”

• “Translation” will no longer be included as a check box on the Author Created and Limitation of Claim screens for Literary Works. If you are registering a translation, type “Translation” in the blank “Other” field.
  
  
• Several of the above changes may render existing templates invalid. To save a revised template:
  
  
  • Use the existing template to create a new application, making any required corrections.
  • After reviewing all application information for accuracy, click on the “Save Template” button at the top of the Review Submission screen.
  • Enter a name for the revised template in the blank field provided on the resulting Template Cases screen, then click on the “Save” button.
  • You will be returned to the Review Submission screen where you may add the application to your cart or save it for later.
  • Delete the previous version of the template: Return to the Home screen, click on the “Use a Template” link under Copyright Services, then click on the “Discard” link for the previous version of the template.

• When creating new Copyright Office Deposit Accounts, you will be required to supply contact information, including a valid email address. To update existing Deposit Account information, click on the Organization/DA link under the list of Copyright Services on the left side of the Home screen.

February 4, 2011 Release

For claims submitted after the February 4, 2011 release, the printable eCO application will include the following information when provided by the applicant:

• Alternate Telephone in the Rights and Permissions section
• Email, Telephone, Alternate Telephone, and Fax in the Correspondent section
• Priority (Routine or Special Handling)
• Note to Copyright Office

December 11, 2009 Release

• Navigation links have been added to the left side of the screen to allow you to go directly to a specific section of the application.  A check box next to each link indicates whether that section of the application has been completed.  To confirm completion of a screen, click “Continue” (formerly “Next”) before going to another screen.
• For more information, click the “eCO Navigation Tips” link (located above the navigation links)
• To facilitate improved navigation, all eCO applications created before October 1, 2009, but not yet submitted with payment to the Copyright Office, were discarded on December 11, 2009 and are no longer accessible.  This action has no impact on eCO applications already submitted to the Copyright Office.

October 21, 2009, Release

• Printable copies of eCO applications will be made available for claims submitted after the October 21, 2009 release.  Note: applications may not be accessible immediately after submission, but will be available within 24 hours of their receipt.
  
  To view and print an eCO application, click the My Applications link under Check Case Status in the navigation menu at the left side of the Home screen.
  
  Organizational users can view and print their colleagues’ applications by clicking the My Company’s Applications link
  
• The Deposit Submission screen has been redesigned to provide clearer instructions.
  
• For applicants sending deposit copies by mail, a Create Shipping Slip button has been added to generate shipping slips for all cases in the Shopping Cart at once.  Previously, it was necessary to create and print shipping ships one at a time for multiple cases.

August 14, 2009, Release

• You will now receive an automated email notification once the deposit files you have uploaded have been received inside the eCO system’s network firewall. Notifications will include the corresponding case number, and will list each file, along with its name, size, and date/time submitted.
  
  To ensure that these messages are not blocked by your email filter, we recommend that you add cop-rc@loc.gov to your address book. Do not send mail to this address, as it is not monitored for incoming messages.
• The eCO search engine has been redeveloped to enable searching for cases by case number, title, type of case, status, and/or whether the case has been flagged as “Action Needed.”
• The Review Submission screen has been revised to display all information entered on the application, without using the “back” button to return to previous screens.  If errors are found, it is still necessary to return to the corresponding screen to edit the information.

June 24, 2009, Release

Implemented new pricing for Special Handling fee, which changes August 1, 2009.

June 19, 2009, Release

• Navigation links have been moved from the right side of the screen to the left side so that more case information can be displayed.
• Volume, Number, and Issue Date fields have been added in all locations where titles are displayed in order to enable easier tracking of serial publications.
• The Upload and Send by Mail links on the Deposit Submission screen have been moved to the left side of the page to accommodate additional title elements.
• Upload Deposit and Send by Mail check boxes have been removed from the Certification screen. The options are offered on the Deposit Submission screen.
• The maximum time available for uploading electronic files has been extended from 30 to 60 minutes for a single session.  You will receive a warning message if you attempt to submit files that exceed the limit. An Acceptable File Size help link has been added to the Electronic Deposit Upload window.
• If your eCO account is linked to other accounts by an Organization, you can now access your colleagues’ cases for review, editing and submission from the My Company’s Cases status list.