Download a PDF of the Short Form VA.

Some say copyright is your first line of defense. It's also your first line of offense.
We as photographers have managed to ever so slightly begin to turn the tides in our
favor — yet a shockingly high number of us still do not register images on a regular basis.

There is much debate about whether or not it is necessary to register your images. If you
expect to file a suit most attorney's won't speak to you unless they know you've registered
your images. You'll also find it exceedingly more difficult to win the maximum $250,000
without the documentation from the US Copyright Office.

Copyright registration will seem overwhelming at first if you are not familiar with legal
mumbo jumbo but in an hour you can be an expert if you take the time to view the
following websites:

Washington D.C. area photographer Peter Krogh has an amazing tutorial I highly recommend.

Editorialphotographers.com has a compendium of resources that are worth reading when you can.

For further information on the simple process, please review the US Copyright Office's website