How to register a group of photos with the US Copyright Office
The Copyright Office has two group options for photos: one for published photos (GRPPH) and one for unpublished photos (GRUPH). Each covers up to 750 photos with one online application and one filing fee.
Who can use a group registration
The Office's help pages list the conditions. For both options (GRPPH help, GRUPH help):
- Every work in the group must be a photograph.
- No more than 750 photographs in the group.
- All the photographs created by the same author.
- The copyright claimant for each photograph must be the same person or organization.
- A title for the group, and a numbered list with the title and file name of each photo.
For published photos there are two more: all the photos must be published in the same calendar year, and the list must give the month and year of publication of each photo. A group cannot mix published and unpublished photos. The Office says that if you choose the wrong type of group, "you will need to start over" (Circular 42).
Whether your photos are published is your call, not ours. Our guide Published or unpublished? quotes what the Office says.
The steps
- Sort your photos into groups. Published and unpublished photos go in separate claims. Published photos also need one claim per calendar year, and any claim holds at most 750 photos.
- Make sure the files are JPEG, GIF or TIFF. The Office says: "The photographs must be in one of the following formats: JPEG, GIF, or TIFF" (GRPPH help).
- Start the application in eCO. Sign in at eco.copyright.gov, choose "Register a Group of Photographs", then "Published Photographs" or "Unpublished Photographs". Note the case number at the top of the screen.
- Prepare the titles list. The Office's own template has a row for each photo: number, title, file name and, for published photos, month and year of publication. See the GRPPH template guide or the GRUPH template guide.
- Name the list with the group title and case number. The Office's example is "Baxter Wedding Photos Case Number 1-8766033261.xls". Use our file name builder.
- Fill in the application. Group title, number of photos, year of completion, publication dates (published only), titles, author, claimant and certification. Our eCO walkthrough goes screen by screen.
- Pay the fee. $55 per group claim when we checked on 21 October 2026. A rise to $85 has been proposed. See fees.
- Upload the photos and the list. The Office "strongly encourages you to combine the photos and the title list in a .zip file", and each upload must not exceed 500 MB (GRPPH help, eCO FAQ).
Common mistakes the Office warns about
- File names in the list that do not match the uploaded files: "the Office may ask you to exclude that photo from the claim or may refuse registration" (GRPPH help).
- More than 750 photos: "the Office may exclude the additional photos from the claim or may refuse registration" (GRPPH help). See the 750 photo limit.
- A two digit year in the publication column. The template's instructions say: "DO NOT enter a two digit year" (GRPPH template).
Questions
How many photos can I register at once?
Up to 750 photos per group application, with one filing fee, according to the Copyright Office's GRPPH and GRUPH help pages.
Can I mix published and unpublished photos in one claim?
No. The Office's help pages say a group of published photographs cannot include unpublished photographs, and the other way round. Each needs its own claim.
What file types does the Office accept for a group of photos?
JPEG, GIF or TIFF, according to the GRPPH and GRUPH help pages.
Sources
Skip the spreadsheet
Register My Photos fills in the Office's own titles list, names it with your group title and case number, checks file types and dates, splits claims at 750 photos and makes zips under 500 MB. It runs in your browser and your photos never leave your device.