About MIDI Files and US Copyright

The US Copyright Office ("USCO") will accept copyright registration filings for your original music in Standard MIDI File (SMF) format, as well as for sequences of published and recorded songs in SMF format.

• Authors simply wishing to register an original music composition (but not the sequence itself) should use USCO form PA.
• Authors wishing to register the "recording" (sequence) itself, should use form SR.
• USCO forms PA and SR are available for downloading from www.copyright.gov/forms.
  
  Important Printing Instructions: The forms should be printed head to head (top of page 2 is directly behind the top of page 1) using BOTH SIDES of a single sheet of paper. NOTE: Short forms are one sided. Inkjet printer copies of the forms require enlarging if you use the Shrink to Fit Page option. To achieve the best quality copies of the application forms, it is recommended that you use a Laser Printer.

The forms submitted to the Copyright Office must be clear, legible, and on a good grade of 8.5-inch by 11-inch white paper. The quality of the copyright application forms submitted for registration directly affects the quality of the copyright registration certificate you receive. The Copyright Office produces completed registration certificates through an optical scanning system that utilizes an image scanned from the original application submitted. As a result copyright applications submitted that are of poor print quality will negatively affect the print quality of the copyright registration certificate you receive. For these reasons, the utmost effort should be made to submit the best quality application form possible.