Protect Your Posts: New Group Copyright Registration Option for Online Blogs and Articles

By Joel Tragesser and Katelin Drass, Quarles & Brady LLP

After several months of anticipation, the U.S. Copyright Office has finally released a new option for registering a group of short online literary works. Under the new “GRTX” application, authors can now register up to 50 individual short literary works in one application and for one fee, giving authors of short stories, blog posts, or online articles a more simplified and cost-friendly option to enjoy the benefits of a copyright registration in their works.

But this new group registration option is not without restrictions. For instance, the registration will only cover the text embodied in each work and not protect other forms of authorship, such as photographs, illustrations, and other visual materials that often accompany a blog post. Additionally, the GRTX option cannot be used to register emails, podcasts, audiobooks, or computer programs, even if these works otherwise meet the eligibility requirements outlined here.

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