How much does it cost to register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office? How much does it cost to register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office? There is both a short answer and a long answer. The short answer is that the cost to formally register a copyright with the Copyright Office is $35. The long answer is that $35 is the application fee, but multiple creative works can potentially be protected under one application. For sound recordings you can register one song, or an entire CD full of songs.