- Click the “Electronic Copyright Office” link with the odd “e” icon. That will take you
to a page with information about electronic registration and the old-fashion paper and
snail mail method. I’d opt for the electronic method. This is the 21st Century, after all.
- Read everything on that page. For that matter, read everything you can on the site to
gain a thorough understanding of copyrights and what you’re getting yourself into.
- Next, click the “Electronic Copyright Office” link at the end of the top “eCO Online
System” section. That will take you to a page that addresses security and privacy. Read
that and then click the “Continue to eCO” button.
- If you’re a new user to the system, click the barely visible “If you are a new user, click
here to register,” link. There you’ll set up your account, password and such. Be aware,
the copyright office has strict rules for passwords. You may need to try a few before you
find one that works.
- After you get through all that (which sounds a lot worse than it is), you’ll land on the
main copyright registration page. - In the left side navigation, click “Register A New Claim,” fill out the forms and fork
over some dough. - The form you want to register for lyrics is Form PA (performing arts), which can also
be downloaded at http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpa.pdf. - Also note that you can use the option of registering several works under one applica-
tion. An example might be, “The Collective Lyrical Works of The Best Lyricist in the
World, 2012.” Still at just $35 USD, it will save you some moolah and you’ll still be
protected.