Copyright Office Proposes Fee Hikes to Offset Rising Operational Expenses
Published Date: 3/20/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Copyright Office is planning to raise some fees for its services because costs have gone up since 2020. These changes will help the Office cover more of its expenses without making it too hard for people to use their services. If you want to share your thoughts, you have until May 4, 2026, to send in comments online.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 6 costs, 0 mixed.
Group Registration Fees Raised (Many Options)
The Office proposes raising many group registration fees—for example, a general group-registration fee moves from $85 to $130. Several specific group options (databases, updates to news websites, and other group categories) would see larger increases depending on the category.
Projected Revenue and Cost-Recovery Increase
The Office estimates the proposed fees would generate roughly $51 million per year (vs. about $41 million under the current schedule) and would achieve approximately 53% projected cost recovery in the first year of implementation.
Standard Registration Fee Rises to $85
If you file a Standard electronic copyright registration, the fee would increase from $65 to $85. The Office says this change moves cost recovery for Standard applications from about 47% to an average 62% in the first year.
Paper Application Fee Jumps to $185
If you submit a paper copyright registration application, the fee would increase from $125 to $185 to reflect higher processing costs and to incentivize electronic filings. The Office says the proposed paper fee approximates the actual cost of the service.
Single Application Option Eliminated
The Office proposes to eliminate the Single Application (currently a $45 electronic option). Any draft Single Applications saved in the electronic system would be permanently discarded if the change is implemented.
Photographer Group Fees Up to $85 (Per-photo Cost Rises)
The fee for group registration of unpublished or published photographs would increase from $55 to $85. At the current 750-photo limit, this changes the per-photo cost from as low as $0.07 to as low as $0.11 when registering the maximum number of photos.
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Key Dates
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