Group Registration of Two-Dimensional Artwork (“GR2D”)

Overview

In a move that is particularly favorable to artists and other creators, the U.S. Copyright Office recently introduced a new group registration option for two-dimensional (2D) artwork. Previously, applicants seeking to register published 2D artwork had to submit a separate application for each individual work, at a filing fee of $65 per application. Under the new rule, applicants can apply to register up to twenty works for only $85. When fully utilized, this reduces the effective filing fee to approximately $4.25 per work, nearly a ninety-three percent decrease in the cost per work.

            The Copyright Office’s Final Rule, which took effect on February 17, 2026, follows requests from stakeholder groups such as the Copyright Alliance and the Coalition of Visual Artists to establish a new group registration option for two-dimensional artwork. These constituents noted that 2D artworks are particularly susceptible to downstream infringement and are often created in such significant quantities that artists choose not to register their works due, in part, to cost and logistical considerations.

In response, the Copyright Office created the Group Registration of Two-Dimensional Artwork (“GR2D”) to improve accessibility to copyright registration while balancing the Copyright Office’s administrative capabilities to examine such applications. Although multiple works may be submitted together under the GR2D application, each work registered is treated as a separate work of authorship.

            To take advantage of the GR2D option, applicants must satisfy several requirements and provide the Copyright Office with certain information and documentation:

●       Scope: Eligible works are limited to ‘‘pictorial or graphic work[s] that [have] been fixed in a two-dimensional form,” such as character artwork, paintings, illustrations, fabric designs, and logos. A group must include at least two and no more than twenty works that each contain a sufficient amount of original authorship.

●       Titles: The applicant must provide a title for each individual work, along with a title for the group as a whole.

●       Publication: All works included in the group must have been published within the same calendar year. Applicants must identify the earliest and latest publication dates among the works and also provide the month of publication for each remaining work in the group.

●       Author/Claimant: All works in the group must be created by the same author, and that author must be named as the sole claimant. Works made for hire are eligible, but works created by common or joint authors are not.

●       Deposit: One complete copy of each work must be submitted. Each work must be uploaded in a separate file, and each file name must correspond to the title of the work as listed in the application.

            The new GR2D application provides a significantly more cost-effective method for registering two-dimensional artwork. Although the new process may increase examination time due to the number of works included in each application, it is expected to make copyright registration more accessible for creators, including individual artists and small businesses, seeking to protect their works.

If you have questions about structuring cost-effective filing programs to fit your business, please contact our office.