If you’ve ever winced at the cost of registering your work with the US Copyright Office, there’s some genuinely good news. As of February 2026, a new option called GR2D lets you register up to 20 pieces of artwork under a single application. The flat fee is $85.
That’s potentially less than $4.50 per work. The previous standard rate was $65 per individual registration.
GR2D stands for Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork. It’s an official US Copyright Office programme, built specifically with artists and independent creators in mind. Here’s what it covers, whether your work qualifies, and how to get started.
Why copyright registration matters
In the US, your artwork gains copyright protection the moment you create it. The practical issue arises when someone infringes your work and you want to take legal action. To pursue statutory damages and attorney’s fees in court, you need a registered copyright.
For many artists, the cost and admin of registering every piece has felt prohibitive. GR2D aims to remove that barrier.
What is GR2D?
GR2D lets you register a batch of qualifying works in one go, with one application and one fee. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Cost: $85 per application, regardless of how many works you include
- Works per application: Between 2 and 20
- Available from: 17 February 2026
- Where to apply: The US Copyright Office’s online eCO registration portal
Does my work qualify?
There are some specific requirements, so it’s worth taking a moment here. The good news is that GR2D covers a broad range of work.
Your work must be 2D
Paintings, illustrations, sketches, logos, fabric designs, collages, and character artwork all qualify. If your work shows a three-dimensional perspective, such as isometric illustration or rendered product artwork, that’s fine too. The key is that the work itself is two-dimensional in nature. Individual comic strips also qualify.
A few things that fall outside the scope of GR2D:
- 3D or sculptural works
- Architectural works
- Technical drawings
- Works that bundle multiple images together, such as catalogues, style guides, comic books, or picture books
- Photographs, which have their own separate group registration process
All works must be published in the same calendar year
Every piece in your application must have been published within the same calendar year, January to December. You cannot combine works from different years in a single application.
One author, one claimant
All works must come from the same author. That author must also appear as the copyright claimant. Works created jointly by two people do not qualify under GR2D.
Works made for hire are allowed. The employer or commissioning party simply needs to appear as both author and claimant.
What do you need to submit?
The whole process happens online through the eCO portal. When you’re ready to apply, you will need:
- One digital file per artwork, each under 500 MB
- Filenames that exactly match the titles you enter on the application (this one catches people out, so double-check before you submit)
- The earliest and most recent publication dates across the group, rather than individual dates for each work
How individual works are assessed
Each artwork in your group gets reviewed individually. Some works may pass while others do not. Importantly, the outcome for one work does not affect the rest of the group.
Before you submit, it’s worth feeling confident that each piece shows original creative authorship. Generic or minimal designs may be less likely to pass review.
A practical example
Say you created 20 illustrations during 2025 and wanted to register them all. Under the standard individual process, that could cost up to $1,300. With GR2D, you’re looking at $85 total. That’s a significant difference, particularly for independent artists managing their own costs and admin.
What about older works?
GR2D applications became available from 17 February 2026. There is no restriction on how far back the publication dates of your works can go. You could submit a GR2D application today for works published in 2023, for example. All works in the application simply need to share the same publication year and meet the other eligibility requirements.
If you have a backlog of unregistered work, it’s worth going back through it to see what might qualify.
How to get started
Head to the US Copyright Office’s eCO registration portal and select the GR2D application form. You’ll work through the eligibility questions, upload one file per artwork, and enter the publication date range for the group. Remember to match each filename exactly to its title before you upload.
The Copyright Office has also published a detailed help page if you want to check eligibility before you apply. For background on the programme itself, the GR2D information page is a good starting point.
Useful links:
A note for UK and international artists
GR2D is a US copyright registration programme. If you’re based in the UK or elsewhere, registering with the US Copyright Office can still be worthwhile. This is particularly relevant if you publish or sell work in the US market. If you’re unsure whether it applies to your situation, get in touch with one of our team.
The bottom line
If you’re a 2D artist publishing work regularly, GR2D is one of the most practical changes to copyright registration in years. Each work still gets reviewed individually. The programme makes meaningful legal protection accessible in a way it hasn’t been before.
If you have questions about whether your work qualifies, or how this fits into your broader copyright strategy, feel free to get in touch.
Please note: this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, we recommend speaking with one of our team.