Many copyright owners feel that registration is an unnecessary formality, that is until they discover someone is infringing on their work. Because registration of a copyright is necessary before a copyright infringement lawsuit may be filed, a copyright owner will rush to register their work. The Copyright Office takes time to process registrations, so sometimes a copyright infringement lawsuit is filed before the Copyright Office has the time to complete the registration process. The question then becomes, is a copyright registered on the date the application is filed or on the date that the Copyright Office completes the registration process?