How much does copyright registration cost?Official US fees, filing helpers, and countries with no register

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

In the United States, official registration with the Copyright Office costs US$45 for a Single application or US$65 for a Standard application (fees checked 12 November 2026). LegalZoom charges US$114 plus those government fees to file for you. The United Kingdom has no official copyright register and no official registration fee.

Official fees and filing helpers

In the United States, copyright exists automatically, but registration with the US Copyright Office is a separate legal step. It is required before you can bring a civil infringement action for a US work, and it can bring statutory advantages described in Circular 1. Fees on copyright.gov, checked 12 November 2026, were US$45 for a Single application and US$65 for a Standard application.

LegalZoom is a filing helper, not the registry. Its copyright registration service was listed at US$114 plus government fees on 12 November 2026. See LegalZoom copyright registration vs a timestamp and the US copyright registration page.

The United Kingdom has no official copyright register and no official fee. Private registries such as Protect My Work charge their own prices; they do not grant copyright. See copyright in the UK and copyright registration vs a timestamp.

Where a dated file record fits

A TimeBind is not registration and does not create copyright. The first Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5; an ASAP TimeBind is US$15. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. People often keep a dated record of the file they later register, or of drafts from before they file.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Is LegalZoom’s price the official US copyright fee?

No. The official fees go to the US Copyright Office (US$45 Single or US$65 Standard, checked 12 November 2026). LegalZoom’s US$114 is its own charge for helping you file, plus those government fees.

Do I have to register copyright in the UK?

No. GOV.UK states there is not a register of copyright works in the UK, and protection is automatic. Private registries charge their own fees and are not official offices.

Does a cheaper timestamp replace registration in the US?

No. A TimeBind dates a file. It does not replace USCO registration or the statutory advantages described in Circular 1.

Are these fees going to change?

Government and private fees change. The figures on this page were checked on 12 November 2026. Confirm current amounts on copyright.gov or the provider’s official page before you pay.

Sources

US Copyright Office, official fees and Circular 1, checked 12 November 2026: US$45 Single, US$65 Standard.
LegalZoom, copyright registration overview, checked 12 November 2026: US$114 plus government fees.
GOV.UK, Copyright (no official UK register).

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.

Related glossary entries: copyright registration, copyright and copyright notice.