Copyright registration, also known as copyright protection. This means that the creators of the work will be protected against illegal use of the work: such as theft, copying, and misuse of the work. The role of intellectual products in life is constantly growing, along with that, the awareness of organizations and individuals in the protection of copyright and related rights is increasing.

The dossier for the certificate of copyright registration is included:

• Written request for copyright registration;
• The decision to assign the author to create the work or the contract to hire the creation of the work;
• Written commitment of the author that contains the author states that he is the creator of this work and does not copy the work of any individual/organization, and is legally responsible for his commitment;
• Copy of ID card/passport of the author or owner of the work (in case the owner is an individual);
• A copy of ERC, IRC, or the decision to establish the organization, which is the owner of the work, to be registered;
• Authorization contract of the owner of the work, authorizing us to be authorized to carry out procedures for copyright registration;
• Registered work (will depend on the type of work and will be consulted in detail after receiving the information of the registered work).

Note: The above papers and documents must be presented in Vietnamese; If they are written in foreign languages, they must be translated into Vietnamese and certified by competent agencies.

The place to submit the certificate is the Copyright Office in Vietnam (COV), whose headquarters is located in Hanoi and 02 representative offices of the Copyright Office in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Within 15 to 20 working days from the date of receiving a valid file from the author or an authorized person, the Copyright Office will be responsible for issuing a copyright registration certificate to the applicant.  If the registered file is rejected, a written notification stating the reason shall be sent back to the registered author or applicant.

Depending on the type of work that the author would like to register, the term of copyright protection will be carried out differently.

Example: For works of cinema, photography, applied art, anonymous works, the term of protection is 75 years from the time the work was first published.  

Nowadays in Vietnam, the issue of copyright protection, in general, is still ineffective. Registering copyright will avoid creating unnecessary disputes about the time of creation as well as the term for which the work is protected. Therefore, it is advised that the client engage a professional law firm in Vietnam to assist with advisory and the registration process. With the broad experience, Apolo Lawyers believes to provide the client with a smooth process to obtain IRC in the shortest time.

More information can be found on the website: www.apolo.com.vn

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