I am not quite sure what this is all about, as under the Berne Convention (of which I thought the US of A is a signatory) copyright comes into force not by registering something, but rather by creating an original work of art - or so I always thought. Could someone please explain this to someone not following the minute details of copyright law (or one country's copyright law, as the case may be), please? My first impression is that this is just a rip-off. 175$ to register a copyright? Since when exactly do you have to register a copyright? A trademark, sure, but a copyright? Isn't that what you get anyway, the moment you create an original creative work? Registering it may help claiming damages in court, but how often will that come up for the average photographer?