In terms of the legal aspects it looks pretty close. You no longer mail in your submission you do it online. It is $35 for an hour of uploads. You can still mail in submissions and can expedite but you have to pay extra. Your copyright is valid as soon as you get verification that they received the file but it will take about 6 weeks to receive the paperwork.
I downsize my photos to about 600 x 800 pixels for uploading. They system still thinks people are using 56K modems so if you try to upload large file it will tell you they are too large. That is not true. I break them up into smaller folders and upload about 3 at a time. The clock only counts while you are uploading so if I complete the upload of one set the clock stops until I start uploading the next set. Without going to count I think I can usually upload between 3000 to 5000 photos for $35. I am not a professional so my photo counts vary.
I use a batch program to downsize the photos and keep them stored in a separate folder labelled "copyrights". This way when I go to do my uploads the photos are already downsized and ready to go.
The clock does not appear to be exact. I swear It has allowed me to go longer than an hour.
I have an article on how to use the system. If I can find it I will post it tonight.
edit: I forgot I also zip the folders. The first time I uploaded it would let me do individual file but would not let me upload folders unless they were zipped.
Do you have to register all your photos every 3 months? That sounds ridiculous. I would think once regitered, always registered unless someone buys all the rights from you. Is it worth doing this if you are not a "professional" photographer?
@texasgold Kara, you only register your photos once. The reference to 3 months is for legal purposes. There is a difference in what you can claim if the photo is not registered within 3 months of a violation taking place. It is best to register photos as soon as possible, before any violation takes place. It is not practical to register a copyright everyday unless you were a professional. I register every couple of months when I figure I have enough photos for an upload. I register both the original photos and then also register processed work.
Here is the article that I have on registering your copyright online. It was written in 2008 so the pricing for mail-in copyrights is wrong but the instructions for online registration are still correct http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/articles/341
@texasgold I have been really lazy this year about doing my copyrights until your question so I just completed them. The website has changed a little in that it now is keeping track of how long you have uploaded. At the end of an hour a pop up tells you your hour is up and do you want to extend it. I replied "yes" and it gave me another hour. At the end of that hour I was still not done and another pop up came up and asked if I wanted another hour. I again said yes and was able to complete my upload in that time frame. I had one upload fail (I had left a .tif file in the folder) but it does not count that time against you so had to re-upload. I was not prompted to pay for the extra time so I emailed the copyright office and asked how to pay for the extra time and they replied that there is no charge for the extra time so my 3 hours of uploads cost $35.
In the past when you stopped uploading the system automatically closed the file and started the copyright procedure now you have to click on a button telling the computer to close the upload and start processing the copyright.
All total for my $35 I copyrighted 2700 photos. I think that is definitely worth the cost. The copyright is effective as soon as they accept your upload but it takes about 3 months to get the paperwork in the mail according to the website. I have usually gotten mine in about 6 weeks.
@lstasel Wow. Thanks for the information! That is all good to know! I guess I should start doing the copyrights on my photos. Thanks for taking the time to write all this out!
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I downsize my photos to about 600 x 800 pixels for uploading. They system still thinks people are using 56K modems so if you try to upload large file it will tell you they are too large. That is not true. I break them up into smaller folders and upload about 3 at a time. The clock only counts while you are uploading so if I complete the upload of one set the clock stops until I start uploading the next set. Without going to count I think I can usually upload between 3000 to 5000 photos for $35. I am not a professional so my photo counts vary.
I use a batch program to downsize the photos and keep them stored in a separate folder labelled "copyrights". This way when I go to do my uploads the photos are already downsized and ready to go.
The clock does not appear to be exact. I swear It has allowed me to go longer than an hour.
I have an article on how to use the system. If I can find it I will post it tonight.
edit: I forgot I also zip the folders. The first time I uploaded it would let me do individual file but would not let me upload folders unless they were zipped.
http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/articles/341
In the past when you stopped uploading the system automatically closed the file and started the copyright procedure now you have to click on a button telling the computer to close the upload and start processing the copyright.
All total for my $35 I copyrighted 2700 photos. I think that is definitely worth the cost. The copyright is effective as soon as they accept your upload but it takes about 3 months to get the paperwork in the mail according to the website. I have usually gotten mine in about 6 weeks.