Frequently asked questions

Copyright is a form of intellectual property. Copyright protects original works of authorship. Copyright is the exclusive right of the creator of a literary, scientific or artistic work to make this work public and to reproduce it (subject to the limitation laid down by law).

Original works that can be protected by copyright – in the European Union – are for example literary works, such as books and magazines, dramatic works, such as plays and scripts, recitations, musical works, drawings, painting, architectural works and other graphic works, photographs, film works, industrial designs and models, such as furniture, jewelry, vehicles, computer programs. Please note that some countries, such as Belgium, have special legislation for computer programs.

Copyright does not protect general ideas and/or technical elements.

Registration of copyright is generally not required to obtain protection. Copyright registration is beneficial as it creates proof of existence of your work at a certain moment in time.

Copyrights are generally valid until seventy years after the death of the creator. When there are multiple creators, the copyright is valid until seventy years after the death of the last surviving creator.

Moral rights protect the personal relation between the creator and his/her work. Moral rights can differ between countries. Most countries in the European Union protect the right to be named as the author and the right to integrity of the work. Moral rights can generally not be transferred or waived.

The registration of copyrights and transfers thereof in the Copyrights Register is currently available for attorneys-at-law and intellectual property professionals. You can apply here to become an authorized IP representative.

Any user of the Copyrights Register is entitled to use the search option to search existing copyright registrations.

After you have created a login for registrations you can submit the completed registration form to have the copyright registered.

During the registration process you will need the full name and address of the rightful owner(s), a digital file of the work, description of the original elements of the work, date of creation of the work. During the registration process you will be able to save your progress.

It is possible to include more creators in the Copyrights Register. During the application process you will be asked for further details.

You can choose one class per registration. The classification is an important tool to distinguish different types of work. If your work does not fall within one of the classes, your work might not be eligible for copyright protection.

It is not possible to make any changes with regard to the classification of your registration. Did you file your registration in the wrong class? Please contact us to see how we can further assist you.

You can find the current schedule of fees here.

Generally, your registration will be completed upon submitting a complete application form without any wait time. However, for some requests it might be necessary to perform a manual check which may take up to 2 working days.

Yes, upon submitting the completed application form, you will receive proof of the copyright registration, including your registration number.

Yes, if the works fall within the same class, you can file several works at once, all these works will have the same registration number and cannot be split into several registrations at a later date.

For more information about the processing of your personal data, you can access our privacy policy here. Please be aware that the registration of your copyright through the Copyright Register creates a publicly available record.

Yes, it is possible to transfer copyrights from the creator or other owner to a new owner. Such transfer should be made in writing and signed by both parties. To transfer a copyright registration, it is mandatory to provide a copy of such document.

It is not possible to make any changes with regard to the “work” as such changes may affect the date of creation. You can however make changes in your address details (click here) or transfer the registration (click here).

Yes, you can have your registration removed from the register. If the registration is filed through a representative, the cancellation should explicitly be confirmed by the creator.

Our contact details can be found here.

Fees to the Copyright Register may be paid with one of the following payment methodes: creditcard, PayPal, iDeal, Bancontact, KBC/CBC Payment, Belfius, Giropay, EPS, Przelewy24.

Yes, upon submitting the completed application form, you will receive a Summary of Registration of your work, including your registration number and filling date.

We shall accordingly create an NFT of this registration in the Copyrights Register in the Ethereum Blockchain. By using this blockchain technology, we secure that the data as set out in the Summary of Registration can't be altered and is encrypted end-to-end. You shall receive a Certificate of Registration of this work accordingly.

In order for you to find the NFT of your registration in the Copyrights Register you shall need a link to the blockchain logbook. In the logbook you are able to find the web address of the place where your registration and your work are stored in a decentralized manner. The address of the blockchain and the password shall be provided to your IP Representative by mail upon creation of the NFT of your Copyright registration.

The NFT of your Copyright registration shall include the registration number of your registration as set out in the Copyrights Register, the date and time of registration, the web address of the place where your registration and your work are stored in a decentralized manner. If you visit this web address, you can download the corresponding files of your registration and open the files with your password.

By creating a record of a copyright protected work using blockchain technology, the record of a work in the Copyrights Register can’t be altered and is encrypted end-to-end. This registration therefore provides copyright owners proof of date of the registration of the work. This improves your possibilities to benefit from the value of the work you created.

In case of infringements, any other (infringing) party you can proof when your work was registered and any other party shall therefore have to proof that it has created a work with the same original elements before the registration date as set out in the Copyrights Register.

Each copyright owner is entitled to keep the following information confidential:

• Name of the work;
• Photo(s) of the work;
• The date of creation of the work; and
• The date(s) of transfer(s) of the work (if applicable).

The following details of your work shall be made public in the Copyrights Register:

• Registration number of the work;
• The date and time of the registration;
• Expiry date of the work;
• The name of the copyright owner; and.
• The contact details of the IP Representative.

Yes, it is possible to transfer copyrights with regard to a work to a new owner. Such transfer should be made in writing and signed by both parties. To transfer the copyrights with regard to a work as registered in the Copyrights Register, please feel free to use our Deed of Transfer and send it duly signed to legal@weipservices.nl.