How to Copyright a Logo (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

You can copyright a logo if its design contains enough original artistic authorship, and you do it by registering the logo as a work of the visual arts with the U.S. Copyright Office for a fee of $45 to $65. The catch most business owners miss: copyright protects only the artwork — the original graphic design — not your brand name, not a slogan, and not the logo's function as a badge that identifies your company. That brand-identifier role is the job of trademark, not copyright. Which is why, for a logo that matters to your business, the real answer is usually both.

This guide walks through whether your logo qualifies, how to register it, what it costs, and where copyright stops and trademark begins.

Copyright vs. trademark for a logo: get this straight first

Almost every confusion about "copyrighting a logo" traces back to one misunderstanding, so it's worth settling immediately. Copyright and trademark protect different things, and a logo can implicate both at once.

Copyright protects original works of authorship — including the artistic, graphic, and pictorial elements of a logo. If a designer drew a stylized fox, an intricate emblem, or an original illustrative mark, that creative expression is copyrightable subject matter. Copyright gives you the right to stop others from reproducing that specific artwork.

Trademark protects words, names, symbols, and designs that identify the source of goods or services in commerce. When customers see your logo and think "that's that company," the logo is functioning as a trademark. Trademark stops competitors from using a confusingly similar mark on similar products — even if their version isn't a literal copy of your artwork.

The practical consequence: a logo that's purely your company name in a standard font is generally not copyrightable at all, because names and short phrases aren't protected by copyright, and typeface itself usually isn't either. That kind of logo is protected, if at all, as a trademark. A logo with genuine original artwork can be both copyrighted (the artwork) and trademarked (its use as a brand identifier). For most businesses, the logo is doing brand work, so trademark is the protection that actually matters day to day — but registering the copyright is cheap and adds a separate, enforceable right against outright copying of the design. We break down the full three-way distinction in our guide to copyright vs. trademark vs. patent.

Is your logo even copyrightable?

Before you register, confirm there's something copyright can protect. The U.S. Copyright Office applies an originality threshold, and it's low but real: the work must contain at least a minimal amount of original, creative authorship.

Logos that generally do qualify include original illustrations, stylized characters or mascots, intricate emblems, and designs that combine artwork in a creative way. Logos that generally do not qualify include a business name set in an ordinary font, a single common geometric shape (a plain circle, square, or triangle), a few words arranged simply, or familiar symbols with no creative addition. The Copyright Office has consistently refused registration for designs it considers too minimal — a basic shape or a couple of letters won't clear the bar, even if the brand is valuable.

A useful way to think about it: copyright is asking "is there original artwork here?" not "is this a strong brand?" A famous brand can have a logo too simple to copyright, and an obscure startup can have a richly illustrated logo that's fully copyrightable. If your logo is essentially text, copyright probably isn't your tool — look at trademark instead, and see why names and short phrases fall outside copyright in our explainer on whether you can copyright a phrase.

You already own the copyright — registration is a separate step

Here's a point that surprises people: copyright protection exists automatically the moment an original logo is created and fixed in a tangible form (saved as a file, drawn on paper). You don't have to register to "own" the copyright. So why register at all?

Because registration unlocks the enforcement tools that make the copyright worth having. Under U.S. law, you generally must register before you can file an infringement lawsuit over a U.S. work. And if you register before the infringement happens (or within three months of first publishing the logo), you become eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees — which can be the difference between a claim that's worth pursuing and one that isn't, because proving actual damages from logo copying is often hard. Registration also creates a public record and, if done within five years of publication, serves as legal evidence that your copyright is valid.

In short: the automatic copyright is real but thin on remedies. Registration is what gives it teeth.

Who owns the copyright — you or your designer?

This trips up new businesses constantly. If you hired a freelance designer to create your logo, the designer — not you — is typically the initial copyright owner, unless you have a written agreement transferring the copyright to you or establishing it as a work made for hire. Paying for the design does not automatically transfer copyright ownership.

So before you register, make sure you actually hold the rights. If a freelancer made your logo, get a signed copyright assignment (a short written transfer of the copyright to your business). If an employee created it within the scope of their job, it's generally a work made for hire that your business owns by default. Don't register a logo you don't own the rights to — the application asks you to identify the author and claimant accurately, and getting that wrong can undermine the registration.

How to register your logo: step by step

Registration is done online through the Copyright Office's electronic system, and for a straightforward logo it takes most people 20–40 minutes to file.

1. Confirm you hold the rights. Sort out any designer assignment or work-made-for-hire question first (see above).

2. Create an account at the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) registration system on copyright.gov.

3. Start a new claim and choose the work type. A logo is registered as a "Work of the Visual Arts." Select that category.

4. Complete the application. You'll enter the title of the work, the author, the copyright claimant (you or your business), the year of creation, and the date and nation of first publication if it's been published. Be accurate — the application is the basis for the registration record, and titles themselves aren't protected by copyright, so don't expect the title field to do any legal work.

5. Pay the fee. Payment is handled through Pay.gov by card or electronic funds transfer. As of 2026, the Single Application (one work, one author, not made for hire) is $45, and the Standard Application is $65. Note that the Copyright Office proposed a fee increase averaging around 43% in early 2026, so confirm the current fee on copyright.gov before filing.

6. Upload your deposit copy. After payment, you upload a digital copy of the logo as the deposit. For an unpublished logo you typically submit the file directly; published works can have specific deposit requirements, which the system will prompt you through.

7. Submit and wait. You'll get a confirmation, and the registration certificate follows after the Office processes it. Processing times vary; you can pay $800 for special handling if you need expedited treatment, but most filers don't.

One efficiency note: if you have several related two-dimensional artworks published in the same year, a group registration option (known as GR2D) lets you register 2 to 20 published 2D artworks under one application and fee — useful if you're protecting a logo plus a set of related marks at once.

What registration does — and doesn't — get you

Registering the copyright in your logo gives you a public record of your claim, the ability to sue for infringement of the artwork, and — if your timing was right — access to statutory damages and attorney's fees. What it does not do is stop a competitor from adopting a different logo that creates the same brand impression, or protect your business name, or prevent someone in a different industry from using a similar mark. Those are trademark questions.

This is why the complete protection picture for a logo usually involves a federal trademark registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the logo as used with your goods or services, layered on top of (or instead of, for text-only logos) the copyright registration. The USPTO's overview of trademark, patent, or copyright is a good companion to this guide. If you're standing up the business itself at the same time, our small business guides cover the entity side of the picture.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to copyright my logo?

You don't need to register copyright to own it — protection is automatic when an original logo is created. But registration is what lets you enforce that right: you generally must register before suing for infringement, and registering early (before infringement or within three months of publishing) unlocks statutory damages and attorney's fees. For a logo with real original artwork, registration is inexpensive insurance. For a text-only logo, copyright may not apply at all, and trademark is the better tool.

Is copyright or trademark better for protecting a logo?

They protect different things, so it's not either-or for most businesses. Copyright protects the original artwork in the logo and stops literal copying of that design. Trademark protects the logo's role as a brand identifier and stops competitors from using a confusingly similar mark on similar goods. A purely text logo is generally only protectable as a trademark. A logo with original artwork can have both, and businesses that rely on the logo as a brand usually want the trademark and treat the copyright as a low-cost add-on.

How much does it cost to copyright a logo?

As of 2026, filing with the U.S. Copyright Office costs $45 for a Single Application (one work, one author, not made for hire) or $65 for a Standard Application. Expedited "special handling" is an extra $800, which most filers don't need. A fee increase was proposed in early 2026, so verify the current amount on copyright.gov before you file. These fees cover the copyright only — a separate federal trademark registration through the USPTO has its own, higher fees.

This page is part of our copyright series; for the framework behind it, see copyright vs. trademark vs. patent, and for related questions, how long copyright lasts and whether you can copyright an idea. Official registration is handled at the U.S. Copyright Office.