In the context of increasingly developing music, many authors have created a series of unique and meaningful songs. However, to protect these works, copyright registration has become an essential requirement. The author wants to collect his songs into a collection and register the copyright for the entire work to save costs. To better understand the above issue, please follow the article of VCD below.
1. What is copyright registration for song collections?
A song, also known as a musical work, is regulated in the current Intellectual Property Law and is defined in detail in Decree 17/2023/ND-CP, specifically “a musical work is a work expressed in the form of musical notes in a sheet of music or other musical symbols regardless of whether it is performed or not.” Musical works are one of the objects protected by copyright.
A song collection is a collection of songs that are selected and arranged based on one or more criteria such as genre, theme, author, singer, or release date. This collection can be published in the form of a book, music disc, digital album, or online playlist.
Currently, the law has not specifically recorded the concept of song copyright registration, but it can be simply understood that song copyright registration is the act of the author or owner of the song submitting an application for song copyright registration to the Copyright Office and being granted a certificate of copyright registration for the musical work. This registration aims to establish legal ownership of the work, contribute to protecting the rights of the author and preventing copyright infringement.
Therefore, registering a song collection copyright is registering the copyright of songs, then gathering all the songs into a collection and registering it as a musical work.
2. Why register copyright for song collections
Copyright for song collections arises automatically from the moment the author or owner completes the creation and shaping of the collection in a certain material form. However, the law still stipulates copyright registration procedures to enhance the effectiveness of copyright protection.
- Registering copyright for song collections is an important method to protect the rights and legitimate interests of the author as well as the owner. Specifically, the Copyright Registration Certificate is the most valuable legal document in establishing and proving ownership of the collection, especially when disputes arise related to copyright or ownership of the song collection.
- Although the law does not require the author or owner to register copyright for the song collection, in practice, registration is always encouraged. It helps reduce the risk of disputes, facilitates the demonstration of rights and protects works against infringement. At the same time, registering songs into a collection helps save costs for the author and owner.
- In addition, in the process of commercially exploiting song collections such as transferring the right to use, publish, perform, or use for advertising purposes, many partners, especially media companies or brands, require a Copyright Certificate before signing the contract.
- In addition, on music platforms in Vietnam and internationally, if a musician or collection owner wants to collect royalties or report copyright infringement, most of these platforms require a Copyright Registration Certificate as a necessary condition.
3. Application for copyright registration of a collection of songs
A music copyright registration application is the legal basis for the Copyright Office to conduct an appraisal and issue a Certificate of copyright registration to the author or owner of the musical work. The application includes:
- Application for copyright registration of a musical work (according to the prescribed form);
- Decision on assigning the task of composition or document confirming ownership of the work;
- Certified copy of identity card (ID card/CCCD/Passport), business registration certificate, or decision to establish an organization of the work owner;
- Certified copy of the author’s identity card;
- Two copies of the musical work printed on A4 paper with full signature and seal (if any) of the author or owner;
- A letter of guarantee from the author confirming that the work is his/her own creation and not copied from any individual or organization;
- Other relevant documents (depending on each specific case).
After completing all the above components of the application, the author or owner submits the application to the Copyright Office for consideration and issuance of a Certificate of Copyright Registration in accordance with the law.
Above is the article “ Register copyright for song collection” that VCD sends to you. We hope this article is useful to you.
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