In December 2025, Senator Marsha Blackburn, joined by Senator Peter Welch, introduced a bill aimed at simplifying and streamlining the copyright registration process for “high-volume creators like photographers, illustrators, and graphic artists.” 

The proposed bill, the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act of 2025, has four main objectives through which Blackburn intends to make good on the Copyright Act’s supposed promise that copyrightable works are automatically protected at the instant of creation. First it aims to amend the deposit copy requirements for pictorial, graphic and sculptural works. It does this by amending the current requirements to permit the submission of “one complete electronic copy,” rather than a physical copy.   

Next, the bill aims to expand the number of photographs permitted to be filed under a group of photographs by the same individual author.  The bill boosts the number of published photographs permitted under one application to 3,000, a whopping four times the amount currently allowed under a Group Registration for Published Photographs.  This increase considers the nature of how creators are producing content today.  With the proliferation of social media and photojournalism, there is no doubt that creators are taking more photographs than ever before. 

The Act also adopts a deferred copyright registration option.  Under this proposed system, creators can file for a deferred registration, which would immediately be considered a valid registration as of the date of filing, prior to the U.S. Copyright Office’s formal review process. In practice, this option helps creators gain enforceable protection for their work, while deferring payment, which in many cases is often cost prohibitive. 

Finally, the Act also directs the Register of Copyrights to create a “modern, secure, searchable, registry of electronic copies,” of registered photos.  This is done with the goal of providing creators a streamlined way to submit their deposit copies, as well as providing the public with a modern and efficient system to review copyrighted images online. 

This bill is endorsed by Professional Photographers of America and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). 

We will keep you posted on the progress of this proposed legislation.