Up to 50 Online Posts by Same Author May be Registered as Group at Copyright Office

(November 1, 2020)  Blog posts, social media posts, and short online articles may now be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office as a group. The rule was established to help daily bloggers and other authors who write and publish online a high volume of works.

The new registration called Group Registration for Short Online Literary Works (“GRTX”) became effective October 29, 2020. It allows an author to register up to 50 short online literary works in one application for one filing fee. A “literary work” under the rule includes poems, short stories, articles, essays, columns, blog entries, or social media posts, which must be published as part of a website or online platform such as online newspapers, social media websites, and social networking platforms. The rule excludes computer programs, audiobooks, podcasts, and emails.

The works must be written by the same individual or co-written by the same individuals. The author must be named as the copyright claimant on the application, even if a different party actually owns the copyright. The works cannot be works for hire.

Each work may be as short as 50 words but no more than 17,500 words. Each work, as well as the group itself, must have an individual title. The works must first be published online within a three-calendar month period. The filing with the U.S. Copyright Office also must be made online.

The final rule was published by the Copyright Office in June 2020 and is now effective.