How to copyright a song: registration step by step
Your song is protected by copyright the moment you write it down or record it. Registering it is a separate step: it does not create the right, but it gives you proof and, in some countries, the power to enforce it. Here is how it works, what it costs in the United States and where to register elsewhere.
This is a general guide, not legal advice. Copyright law changes from country to country. Fees and rules below come from the official sources named in each section, checked on October 15, 2026.
Copyright is automatic
In the United States, the Copyright Office puts it simply: a work is protected “the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form”. A lyric sheet, a voice memo or a session file is enough. Most countries work the same way, because the Berne Convention, which most countries have signed, does not allow copyright to depend on formalities such as registration.
So the question is not whether your song is protected, but whether you can prove it is yours, and when. That is what registration is for.
Two copyrights in every track
A released track usually carries two separate rights:
| Right | What it covers | Usually owned by |
|---|---|---|
| The song (musical work, composition) | Melody, harmony and lyrics | The songwriters and their publishers |
| The recording (sound recording, master) | That specific recorded performance | Whoever paid for the recording: the artist or the label |
When people talk about “music copyright”, they usually mean one of these two, or both. They can be registered separately. The US Copyright Office (Circular 56A) allows one application for both when the same party owns both — for example, a songwriter who records their own song. When there are co-writers, agree the shares first with a split sheet: the registration should match it.
Why register anyway
- Proof. A registration is a dated, public record of who claims the work. In the US, a registration made within five years of publication is prima facie evidence in court.
- The right to sue (US). For a US work, you must register before you can file an infringement lawsuit.
- Damages (US). Statutory damages and attorney’s fees are only available for registered works, and generally only if you registered before the infringement started or within three months of first publication (17 U.S.C. § 412). Registering early matters.
- Deals and disputes. Publishers, labels and sync buyers ask who owns what. A registration plus a signed split sheet answers quickly.
How to register in the United States
- Decide what you are registering: the song, the recording or both, and who the claimants are.
- Create an account in the Copyright Office’s online system (eCO) at copyright.gov.
- Choose the application: the Single Application is for one work by one author who is also the only claimant and not a work made for hire; the Standard Application covers everything else, such as co-written songs. There are also group options for unpublished works and for works on an album.
- Pay the fee (see below) and upload a copy of the work: an audio file, a lead sheet or the lyrics, depending on what you register.
- Keep the confirmation. The effective date of registration is the day the Office receives a complete application, fee and copy — even if the certificate arrives months later.
US fees
From the Copyright Office fee page (copyright.gov/about/fees.html), checked on October 15, 2026:
| Registration | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single Application (online) | USD 45 |
| Standard Application (online) | USD 65 |
| Group of unpublished works | USD 85 |
| Group of works published on an album | USD 65 |
| Paper application | USD 125 |
If you write a lot, the group option for unpublished works can register several demos in one application. Read the conditions on copyright.gov before filing: who can use each option is limited.
How long it takes
For cases closed between April 1 and September 30, 2026, the Copyright Office reports these averages: 3.4 months for an online application with an uploaded file and no questions from the examiner (range 1.2 to 5.5 months), 5.3 months when the examiner has to write to you (1.1 to 9.6), and 5.0 months for a paper application without questions. Answer the examiner quickly and upload the right copy to avoid delays. The wait does not put you at risk: the effective date is the day the Office received the complete application.
Registering outside the United States
Most countries have a public office that registers works. There, registration is usually voluntary and works as dated proof of who claims the song. These are the official offices in some of the biggest Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets, with what their official pages said when we checked them on 15 October 2026:
| Country | Office | How to apply | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Escritório de Direitos Autorais (EDA) of the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional | Online through the gov.br portal, or in person | R$ 40 for an individual, R$ 80 for a company; the first copy of the certificate is free (EDA fee table, March 2026) |
| Mexico | Registro Público del Derecho de Autor of INDAUTOR | Online through Indarelín (indautor.gob.mx) with an e.firma (advanced electronic signature), or in person | A fee paid with a “línea de captura”; it was MXN 300 when the online system launched in January 2022 and is updated every year |
| Argentina | Dirección Nacional del Derecho de Autor (DNDA) | “Registrá tu primera canción” on TAD (Trámites a Distancia), then a sealed envelope with the work | Free, once: up to 15 unreleased songs, if you are over 18 and have no musical works registered at the DNDA |
| Colombia | Dirección Nacional de Derecho de Autor (DNDA) | Online or in person, at derechodeautor.gov.co | Check the official site before applying |
| Spain | Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual (the Ministry of Culture’s central registry or your region’s registry) | Online or in person | Set by each registry and updated every year; check before applying |
Brazil, step by step
- Get the work ready: a copy of what you are registering (lyrics, score or recording) and the details of every author. If you wrote it with others, fill in a split sheet first.
- Apply to the EDA of the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional through the gov.br portal, with your gov.br account.
- Pay the fee: R$ 40 for an individual or R$ 80 for a company. Online applications can be paid by Pix or credit card; paper applications are paid with a GRU at Banco do Brasil. Filing through a representative adds R$ 40.
- Keep the certificate. The first copy comes free with the registration.
Mexico, step by step
- Get your e.firma (the SAT’s advanced electronic signature) if you want to apply online.
- Create an account in Indarelín from indautor.gob.mx, which is open every day of the year.
- Fill in the title and the authors, choose a musical work with or without lyrics, and attach a copy of the work.
- Pay the fee with the “línea de captura” the system gives you, and wait for the certificate.
Registering at the office is not the same as joining a collecting society. Societies such as UBC or ABRAMUS (Brazil), SACM (Mexico), SADAIC (Argentina), SAYCO (Colombia) or SGAE (Spain) also keep a register of songs, but to pay you, not to prove authorship: join yours and register every song there too. How that money reaches you is in how music royalties work.
What does not protect you
- “Poor man’s copyright”. Mailing a copy to yourself is not a substitute for registration: the US Copyright Office says copyright law has no provision for it.
- Uploading to a streaming service. A release date helps as evidence, but it is not a registration, and the metadata can be edited.
- A © symbol. The notice tells people you claim the work. It doesn’t register anything.
- An ISRC. It identifies a recording for royalty reporting; it says nothing about who owns it. See what an ISRC code is.
After registering
Keep the certificate, the split sheet, the session files and any contracts (producer agreements, beat licenses, sample clearances) together for each song. If the song uses a sample or a leased beat, part of it is not yours to register: read how to clear a sample and how beat licenses work.
TONTRIA Law helps with the paperwork around the registration: it drafts split sheets and producer agreements, reviews licenses and quotes the clauses on ownership. It is an AI legal assistant, not a lawyer. TONTRIA for Publishers keeps each song’s writers, shares and registrations in one catalog.