P: Add a dedicated metadata field in Lightroom Classic to track copyright registration status

I am requesting a dedicated metadata field in Lightroom Classic that allows photographers to track the copyright registration status of each image. As more photographers register their work with the U.S. Copyright Office—especially using quarterly unpublished group registrations—there is currently no built‑in way to mark which images have been submitted, which batch they belong to, or whether they are safe to publish.

Lightroom Classic is the central catalog and workflow hub for many working photographers. It already manages flags, ratings, keywords, EXIF/IPTC metadata, and custom workflow states, but it does not provide any field related to copyright registration. As a result, photographers are forced to use workarounds such as keywords, color labels, or collection names to track registration status. These methods are inconsistent, easy to break, and not scalable for large catalogs.

A dedicated metadata field (or small group of fields) would solve this cleanly. Examples of useful fields include:

• Copyright Registered: Yes/No

• Registration Date: (date field)

• Registration Batch ID or Title: (text field)

• Registration Type: Published / Unpublished

This would allow photographers to:

• Track which images have been submitted to the Copyright Office

• Avoid accidental double‑registration

• Ensure unpublished images are not released before registration

• Build Smart Collections based on registration status

• Maintain accurate legal records directly inside the Lightroom catalog

• Integrate copyright protection into the existing metadata workflow

With image scraping, AI dataset harvesting, and unauthorized commercial use becoming more common, copyright registration is now a standard part of many photographers’ workflows. Adding this metadata field would bring Lightroom Classic in line with modern professional needs and provide a simple, high‑impact improvement for asset management.

Thank you for considering this enhancement.