# Registering images with copyright office: what size & quality of file need I submit?



## bluewaterjon (Jul 2, 2011)

I have some images I need copyrighted immediately. I have heard differeing views on the size of the file I must send to the copright office. I have heard that all the officre needs is a small file- maybe 400 pixels wide at 72dpi, but now the fellow who does some officework for me looked up info on the copyright website that seemed to indicate they should receive the best quality.
Here is what he said:
 It would always be best to copyright the Best Edition of Published Works.Lets say for example that you sell you photo for a calendar, and someone takes that picture and uses it for profit in another manner and they say it was their photo and not yours.  The copyright office would compare the two photos and because the other person has a higher quality picture they may determine that they are the publisher/originator of the photograph.

U.S. copyright law (title 17, _U.S. Code_) requires that copies or phonorecords
deposited in the Copyright Office be of the best edition of a work.1 The law
states: The best edition of a work is the edition, published in the United States
at any time before the date of deposit, that the Library of Congress determines
to be most suitable for its purposes.

*Photographs*
A Size and finish, in descending order of preference
1 The most widely distributed edition
2 8_" _* 10_" _glossy print
3 Other size or finish
B Unmounted rather than mounted
C Archival-quality rather than less-permanent paper
stock or printing process

So my question is, do I need to send a large file? My originals are RAWs at 14mb. I was planning to open them up and optimize them and set them up at about 1mb.
Any advice?
Thanks,
Jon Schwartz
www.bluewaterjon.com


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## Tony S (Jul 2, 2011)

here's a good link from a copyrights attorney on the sizing subject. It even has a few links on good ways to save and submit the files.
Photo Attorney: Q&A - What Size File Do I Submit for eCO Registration?


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## The_Traveler (Jul 2, 2011)

I've submitted a bunch of full res jpegs at about 50% quality. You can get a lot of those on one CD or DVD for the registration price.


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## bluewaterjon (Jul 2, 2011)

Hey thanks! I really appreciate the input!!
Jon


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