Registering a comic book copyright is not only an important step in protecting the author’s rights but also helps establish legal ownership of the work. For the registration process to go smoothly, authors and owners need to prepare some necessary papers and documents. The following article from VCD will help you.
1. What is a comic book copyright?
Comics are a type of story familiar to all ages in life, a form of story told in the form of images or a series of continuous images combined with text or other images that convey information to readers.
Comics are a form of conveying the creator’s message to readers in the most vivid way, combined with many different images in succession to represent narrative dialogue, sound effects or other information.
Comics are a type of work protected by intellectual property law. Currently, comic works are classified as written works. In particular, for comic works with little or no dialogue, the author can use a part of the work to print and decorate personal items such as T-shirts, cups, postcards, etc. In this case, these works can be registered for protection as applied art.
Copyright, also known as author’s rights, is a legal term used to describe the rights that authors have to their literary and artistic works.
Comic copyright is the affirmation of copyright to the comic work that they create or are the owner of that work.
2. Conditions for copyright protection of comic works
Organizations and individuals whose comic works are protected by copyright include the person who directly creates the work and the copyright owner according to the provisions from Article 37 to Article 42 of the Law on Intellectual Property.
Authors and copyright owners may be Vietnamese organizations or individuals; or foreign organizations or individuals whose works are first published in Vietnam and have not been published in any other country, or are simultaneously published in Vietnam within 30 days of first publication in another country. In addition, foreign organizations and individuals whose works are protected in Vietnam under international copyright treaties of which Vietnam is a member are also protected.
Comic works belong to the types of copyright protection prescribed in Article 14 of the Law on Intellectual Property. Derivative works are only protected if they do not infringe upon the copyright of the original work. To be protected, comic works must be directly created by the author through his or her own intellectual labor without copying from other works. Works that are not within the scope of copyright protection will not be protected.
3. Comic book copyright registration application
To register copyright, the following documents must be prepared:
- Copyright registration application form: The application form must be in Vietnamese and must be signed by the author, copyright owner, or authorized person. At the same time, the application form must include full information about the applicant, author, copyright owner; summary of the work; original work name if it is a derivative work; time, place and form of publication; commitment to responsibility for the information in the application.
- Two copies of the work: Provide two copies of the work for copyright registration.
- Power of attorney: If the applicant is not the author but an authorized person, a power of attorney is required.
- Documents proving the right to submit an application: If the applicant enjoys rights from another person (by inheritance, transfer, succession), documents proving this right are required.
- Written consent of co-authors: If the work has multiple co-authors, written consent of all co-authors is required.
- Written consent of co-owners: If the copyright is jointly owned, written consent of all co-owners is required.
4. Benefits of comic book copyright registration
Copyright registration brings many important benefits to authors and copyright owners, including:
Proof of legal rights: Registration helps authors and owners prove their legal rights in the event of a dispute with another party. This creates a basis for competent authorities to apply civil, administrative or criminal measures against copyright infringement.
Exploitation of rights: Registration also helps authors and owners easily exploit personal and property rights recognized by law. This includes the right to use, transfer and license their works.
International protection: Registering copyright protection for comics in Vietnam also helps authors and owners to be protected under international treaties of which Vietnam is a member. This means that their copyright is not only protected in Vietnam but also in other countries.
Above is the article “What documents are required to register copyright of comics?” that VCD sent to you. We hope this article is useful to you.
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