623.6 Special Handling Fee
To expedite a registration or recordation, the applicant or remitter must pay a special handling fee in addition to the filing fee for the application or the recordation fee for the document. These fees are set forth in the Office’s fee schedule under the heading “Special handling fee for a claim” and “Special handling fee for recordation of a document.” The special handling fee must be paid for each application and for each document for which expedited service is requested and granted.
Once a request for special handling has been granted, the special handling fee is not refundable, regardless of whether the Office issues a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation.
If the applicant requests special handling through the electronic registration system, the special handling fee may be paid with a credit card, a debit card, or an electronic transfer from a checking account, savings account, or a deposit account.
If the request is made in person at the Public Information Office, the special handling fee may be paid in cash, by credit card, by check, or it may be charged to a deposit account.
If the request is delivered by mail, commercial carrier, or courier, the special handling fee may be paid by check or it may be charged to a deposit account.
Checks must be made payable to the U.S. Copyright Office, they must be payable in U.S. dollars, they must be imprinted with an American Banking Association routing number, and they must be redeemable through a U.S. institution without a service charge or exchange fee. International money orders and foreign postal money orders that are negotiable only at a post office will not be accepted.
If the Office issues a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation, and if the payment for the special handling fee is returned or invalidated, the registration or recordation will be cancelled.
See Policy Decision: Revised Special Handling Procedures, 56 Fed. Reg. at 37,528 (August 7, 1991); Policy Decision Announcing Fee for Special Handling of Applications for Copyright Registration, 47 Fed. Reg. at 19,254 (May 4, 1982).