U.S. Copyright Office Experiencing Application Backlog

The U.S. Copyright Office is experiencing a major slowdown in application processing stemming from a new $52 million electronic process. Workers have stated the electronic system is slow and prone to crashing while managers note the challenge has been retraining the staff to use the system. Both sides agree the more significant problem is the fact that almost half of all applications are still in paper form which must be entered by hand into the new electronic database. As a result, the office plans to raise the fees for paper applications from $45 to $65 in August while keeping the fee for electronic filing at $35.
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