You've built an online course: sixty videos, some worksheets, and a platform to deliver them. You want to register the copyright before launch. The Copyright Office's system doesn't have a box for "online course," and the per-work fee times sixty is a number you'd like to avoid.

The short answer: each video is its own work. You can register videos one at a time, register unpublished videos in groups of ten for one fee, or register the whole course as a single collective work. The cheapest option can also cut your statutory damages to a single award, so choose with enforcement in mind.

What gets registered

The Copyright Act protects "motion pictures and other audiovisual works." 17 U.S.C. § 102(a)(6). A recorded lesson is a motion picture for registration purposes, and the registration covers the copyrightable material in it that the claimant owns: the footage, the editing, the script, and the soundtrack.

Use the Copyright Office's Standard Application and choose the motion picture or audiovisual work type. The Office's guide is Circular 45, Copyright Registration for Motion Pictures.

Before you file, confirm that the claimant owns the video. See Who owns your videos?

Three ways to register many videos

Route Works per application Fee (Nov. 2026) Requirements Statutory damages
One application per video 1 $65 each None beyond the usual One award per video
Group registration of unpublished works Up to 10 $85 per group All unpublished; same author; author is the claimant One award per video
The course as one collective work The whole course $65 Claimant owns every component; components first published together Likely one award for the whole course

A fee increase is pending. See the 2026 Copyright Office fee increase.

One application per video

This always works, whether the videos are published or not. It costs the most in fees and in time.

Groups of ten unpublished videos

The Office allows up to ten unpublished works on one application if they share the same author, the author is the claimant, and they belong in the same class. 37 C.F.R. § 202.4(c). The regulation treats each work in the group as separately registered, so each video keeps its own statutory damages award.

Two conditions do most of the work:

  • Unpublished. A video that members can only stream is generally still unpublished. See Is streaming "publication"?
  • Same author, who is also the claimant. A company qualifies if every video in the group is a work made for hire, because the company is then the author. A company that acquired its videos by assignment doesn't qualify, because the authors are the individual creators and they aren't the claimant.

Details are in Group registration of unpublished works.

The course as a collective work

A collective work is a compilation of separate, independent works assembled into a whole. 17 U.S.C. § 101. If one claimant owns the course and all the videos in it, a registration of the collective work can cover the individual videos too.

The cost comes later. Statutory damages are awarded per work, and "all the parts of a compilation or derivative work constitute one work." 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1). In Bryant v. Media Right Productions, Inc., 603 F.3d 135 (2d Cir. 2010), the plaintiffs had issued their songs as albums, and the Second Circuit allowed one statutory award per album, not one per song.

An infringer who copies twenty of your videos may owe one award if the course is a single collective work, and twenty if the videos stand as separate works. Other circuits ask whether each work has independent economic value, so the result can vary. If you'd ever want to enforce video by video, don't rely on a single collective registration.

What to exclude from the claim

A registration covers only what the claimant owns and created. Use the application's limitation-of-claim fields to exclude:

  • stock footage and licensed music
  • clips, images, and slides from third parties
  • material that was previously published or previously registered
  • a guest expert's own script or slides, unless they were assigned to you

Describing the claim accurately is worth the time. An inaccuracy invalidates a registration only if the applicant knew it was inaccurate and the Office would have refused registration had it known. 17 U.S.C. § 411(b); Unicolors, Inc. v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, L.P., 595 U.S. 178 (2022). You'd still prefer not to litigate that question.

The deposit

The Office needs a complete copy of each video and a written description of it, such as a synopsis.

  • Upload a reasonable file, not the master. A 4K master at production bitrate can be several gigabytes for ten minutes of video. The Office's upload system has per-file size limits, so export a compressed copy that shows the complete work. A 1080p H.264 file at a modest bitrate is usually enough.
  • Name the files to match the titles on the application, especially in a group.
  • Keep an exact copy of what you deposited. In litigation you'll need to show what the registration covers.

Edited and updated videos

A registration covers the version deposited. If you later re-cut a lesson, the original registration still protects the material that carried over. Only the new material needs a new registration, and only if the new material is worth protecting separately. Trimming ten seconds isn't a new work.

If you know a video is about to be re-edited, register the final version.

Practical takeaways

  1. Settle ownership first: work-made-for-hire agreements or assignments from everyone who made the videos.
  2. If you can, register before launch, while the videos are unpublished and the group option is available.
  3. Choose separate or group registrations if you'd want per-video damages. Choose a collective registration only if cost matters more.
  4. Exclude what you don't own.
  5. File before anyone copies. Statutory damages and attorney's fees depend on timing. See When to register a copyright.

I register video libraries and course content for creators and companies, and I'm glad to help you pick the route that fits your budget and your enforcement goals.

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Related resources

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Copyright Office practices and fees change, and the law varies by circuit; confirm current requirements at copyright.gov and consult qualified counsel about your situation.