Although copyright arises at the moment of creation of the work, but for effective protection and monetization, we advise you to obtain a state-issued document of protection.
The certificate of copyright registration for a work officially confirms your authorship and certifies that all property and non-property rights belong to the authors indicated in the certificate.
Also, the copyright registration certificate for a work fixes the date of creation of such a work, which is of key importance in possible plagiarism disputes. In case of prosecution of violators of your rights, you do not need to additionally establish authorship, provide the court with additional materials, source files or drafts of the work, because you will already have a document officially confirming the existence of rights to the work and in the state archives by court order you can obtain data on the date of creation. In addition, it is much easier to resolve the issue of infringement of rights on the Internet – the administration of social networks is more willing to satisfy complaints that contain information about the availability of the author’s copyright document.
Also, it is impossible to do without a copyright registration certificate for a work when evaluating or commercializing a work – without such a certificate it is impossible to conclude a license or publishing agreement, or make an intangible asset part of the authorized capital.
If you want to apply for pitching to the State Film Agency and receive state funding for your film work, then the Certificate of Copyright Registration for the script of the work will also be among the mandatory list of documents.
WHAT OBJECTS CAN BE REGISTERED?
Literary works (books, poems, scripts, etc.).- Scientific articles and monographs. Although ideas are not protected by copyright, it is possible to protect the form of their expression and fix the time of creation – this is extremely important in the community of scientists to prevent plagiarism and establish primacy.
- Objects of fine art (paintings, illustrations, graphics, sculptures). Copyright registration is required in case of evaluation or sale of works of art, transportation of such works abroad.
- Photographs. Do not forget that the model can also be a co-author of the photo.
- Video and film works. Video and cinema works are complex (complex) objects of copyright that contain other objects and involve different people in their creation.
- Musical works (music and lyrics). Registration of copyright for a musical work, lyrics, music of a song is an effective and efficient way to protect your rights and receive remuneration in the form of royalties – deductions for the use of your copyright share in the work.
- Choreography. If you have created an original production, it can also be protected by registering copyright for a choreographic work.
- Programs and databases. Source code and databases are protected by copyright in the same way as a literary work. In the IT world, there is almost no program that does not have a copyright registration certificate. In addition, customers simply will not want to buy a product or get a license if you do not prove that you are the author of such a program or source code (plagiarism will cost a lot of money to the customer).
ADVANTAGES OF COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION
Securing of authorship. Certificate of copyright registration is an official document issued by a state body (State Enterprise “Ukrainian Institute of Intellectual Property” (Ukrpatent) and certifies that you are the author of the work registered under such certificate.- Fixation of the date of creation. The copyright registration certificate officially establishes that on the date specified in the application, the work registered under such a certificate has already been created.
- Participation in public procurement. Without a copyright registration certificate, it is impossible to participate in public procurement in cases provided for in Part 2 of Article 40 of the Law of Ukraine “On Public Procurement”.
- Full realization of rights. Without a copyright registration certificate, it is problematic or impossible to conclude a publishing or licensing agreement, contribute a work to the authorized capital or sell exclusive rights to such a work.
- Transfer of property rights by inheritance. Heirs will be able to inherit property rights to a registered work without going to court.
- Accounting of the work as an intangible asset. A copyright registration certificate is a documentary evidence of an intangible asset for your accountant.
- Simplification of claim or court work. The copyright registration certificate is the most convincing proof for the court that you are the author of your own work. In addition, you are exempt from proving that you own the relevant rights and can concentrate on the main thing – on collecting compensation from the offender.
WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM THE AUTHOR TO REGISTER COPYRIGHT?
Details of the author/all co-authors of the work to be registered:
- for individuals: scanned copy in digital form of 1, 2 and 3 pages of passport and registration, identification code;
- for legal entities: scanned copy of the extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations.
- A copy of the work in high-quality digital form
- Date of creation of the work
- Certified copy of the Agreement, if it is a question of registration of the agreement concerning the author’s right to the work
- Power of attorney of the established form for the representative, if the submission for registration is not made by you personally
- Payment of state fees and/or services of a representative
* When registering copyright with the participation of minors, the list of required documents requires additional clarification
QUESTIONS THAT WE ARE OFTEN ASKED:
How long does the copyright registration process in Ukraine take?
Answer: the registration procedure takes from 1 to 3 months
- Is it possible to speed up the copyright registration process?
Answer: No, it is not. According to the current legislation, there is no accelerated procedure for copyright registration
- Is the copyright registration certificate valid only in Ukraine?
Answer: No, such certificate is valid in 179 countries of the world (parties to the Berne Convention). It is enough to translate the certificate into the required language so that in another country they understand what exactly the copyright registration certificate secures
- What is the cost of your services?
Answer: the cost of registration of one copyright object is from 3500 UAH.
This cost includes not only the work of a lawyer, but also all postal expenses, payment of state fees, purchase of necessary materials (electronic drives, etc.)
