For scripts, books, and written works
Use Form TX if your work primarily consists of text, such as:
Books
Manuscripts
Poetry
Articles
Stories
Other literary content
Use Form VA to register a published or unpublished visual artwork, including:
Paintings, drawings, or illustrations
Photographs (non-commercial)
Sculptures
Prints and reproductions
Maps, globes, charts, or diagrams
Models and technical drawings
No, Form VA (and TX) can only be used to register one published or one unpublished work.
For multiple unpublished works, use the online application for:
“A Group of Unpublished Works”
For photographs, use:
“Published Photographs”
“Unpublished Photographs”
For more, refer to Multiple Works – Circular 34.
No. Architectural works (e.g., house, office, museum designs) must be registered using the “Standard” online application.
See Circular 41 – Architectural Works for guidance.
Copyright protects original pictorial, graphic, or sculptural elements of a work — not:
Ideas, procedures, systems, or methods
Functional or utilitarian aspects of a design
Yes — if they contain original artistic or graphic content.
Use Form VA if the focus is on graphics or images
Use Form TX if the focus is on text
❌ Not protected:
Common phrases, names, slogans
Standard emblems or generic symbols
These may be eligible for trademark protection instead.
Learn more at: www.uspto.gov
These include handmade or creatively designed objects (e.g., jewelry, furniture).
✅ Protected: The artistic form
❌ Not protected: The mechanical function or usefulness
You must submit a deposit of the work:
Unpublished work: 1 complete copy
Published work: 2 copies of the best edition
Published outside the U.S.: 1 copy of first foreign edition
Contribution to a collective work: 1 copy of the best edition of the full collective work
Before March 1, 1989: Yes, notice was mandatory
After March 1, 1989: Notice is optional, but still recommended