Each design has its own style and creative business owners put their heart and soul into creating an effective logo for their business.

However, all this hard work can be wasted if you don’t copyright your logo. A copyright is the only way to protect your logo from being plagiarized and make sure it can’t be created by anyone else.

It’s important to know that if a logo is used in a wider branding campaign, then copyrighting that logo will only protect you if you follow the right procedures.

In order to protect your logo with a copyright, you need to fill out the correct forms and follow the appropriate procedures. So let us discuss How to copyright a logo?

What is Copyright?

There is no denying that copyrights are very important when it comes down to the creations of artists. Copyright essentially gives a person or company ownership over the creation in question, which allows them to protect it from theft or unlawful usage by another entity.

For example, if a logo is created then it is protected and owned by the person/team who created it originally, not someone else.

We understand that there is no set way to use the © symbol when referring to copyrights but we recommend using it with your name so as not to confuse anyone into thinking that you are claiming ownership of another individual’s work.

Step by Step Guide to Copyright a Logo

You must protect your logo at all costs because it is your business’s identity. By taking the time and effort to copyright your logo, you are proving your dedication to your business and your customers.

We are always happy to help out with any questions you may have.

Fill and Submit the Application

As you can see, filing the copyright form online is a quick and easy process. You just need to visit the site of the United States Copyright Office and fill up the form. It’s a mandatory thing to do if you want to protect your work.

So, make sure you submit both the electronic as well as paper versions of the form. If you are a visual artist, you need to register your creations with the US Copyright Office.

This type of copyright registration is called a “Visual Arts” registration. The form will ask you to provide personal information about the author, such as name and email address.

Also specify if the author is also the owner of the work, along with a description of copyright documentation.

Pay the Registration Fee

The registration fee to copyright a logo is $39 and it is non-refundable. Paper applications must be mailed in so if you are renewing your copyright, remember to mail in the application.

This can be done with a cheque or money order as long as it’s not made out to the government – it should be for $39 cents or 65$ USD (whichever is applicable).

If applying online, use a credit card and if you need help setting up an account, click on the Get Started Now button at the top right corner of this page.

Submit the Copies of your Logo

In case your logo has been published publicly or you are using a custom logo that you have never shared with anyone prior; you will need to deliver a physical copy of your logo. If it is a custom logo that has not been released publicly, we will accept a digital version of the logo.

Getting Confirmation Mail

Once you have a designed your logo, you can start the copyrighting process by providing an electronic copy of your logo file in any of the following formats; tiff, eps, doc, or jpg.

Copyright a logo Manually

You can also register your copyright by doing it the old-fashioned way. To do this, you’ll fill out Form VA yourself, print it off, and mail it in along with a deposit copy to the Library of Congress, U.S. Copyright Office, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington DC 20559.

There’s no rush to register your logo right away – but when you do decide to register your logo or artwork copyright manually because you don’t have time for an automated system like we described above – make sure that record of why you chose to register your work manually is kept well so as not to miss any deadline.

Copyright a logo online

To register works in copyright, one can obtain a registration online, visit the U.S. Copyright Office portal where one fills out the appropriate form and receipt of which will take about 20 minutes.

If you however happen to be residing in the United States, we advise you to use the US Copyright Office portal instead.

It’s simpler in that you are likely to have to work with just a little extra information and follow several steps outlined in order to complete it smoothly (it took us approximately 30 minutes).

1. To start, go to the Copyright Office registration portal and fill out all of your artist-related details, including contact information and artwork type.
2. You will also be required to submit a digital copy of your logo for final review before approval (make sure there are no watermarks or other hidden text in the image file before uploading).
3. Once you have registered online, you can then pay the copyright office fees using electronic payment options like Paypal or any major credit card.
4. For additional assistance regarding this process, you can also visit the United States Copyright Office help center where they typically have representatives available seven days a week for live chat support and can also provide email contact information where necessary.

Conclusion

A logo is a very important business asset, it’s the face of your company. If you have created a logo, you may want to consider copyrighting it.

By doing so, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that nobody can copy your logo and use it for their own business.

This blog is for anyone who wishes to protect their logo from being stolen or used by someone else without permission.

We wanted to provide you with a brief overview of how to copyright your logo, but if you’d like more information, you can find it in our Copyrighting Your Logo article. I hope that you will understand how to copyright a logo.

For more information about graphic designing visit other blog posts on our website.