1412.6 Refunds
The U.S. Copyright Office will not refund fees submitted for applications for basic, supplementary, or renewal registration, including mask works and vessel designs, if the Office refuses to register the claim because the material deposited does not constitute copyrightable subject matter or because the claim is invalid for any other reason. The Office will refund payments made by mistake or in excess of the fee, depending upon the timing of the request or other factors, but amounts of $50 or less will not be refunded unless specifically requested. See 37 C.F.R. § 201.6 (C) (1). For example, the Office may refund the filing fee for a duplicate submission if the applicant filed an online application, and then immediately submitted another application to register the same work because her computer crashed before she received an email acknowledging her first submission. By contrast, if the applicant submitted an application for a preregistration, a supplementary registration, or a renewal registration, the Office will not refund the filing fee, even if she actually intended to file an application for a basic registration.