Intellectual property attorney, who can register the copyright of a jointly written script?

Hello, this is an intellectual property attorney.

If two people created the script together and their respective contributions cannot be clearly separated, this script falls under a ‘joint work.’

In this case, both people become joint authors, and in principle the copyright registration is also applied for jointly.

However, if you obtain the consent of the other joint author and prepare a ‘consent to a sole application,’ one person may apply for registration alone.

For an online application, the other author must give consent through an accredited certificate, or submit a consent to a sole application and identification documents in the prescribed form.

For an application by mail or in person, you must submit a consent to a sole application and identification documents together with an author list sheet.

Because a joint work is prone to entangled interests, if a mistake or omission occurs during the registration process, it can lead to a dispute over rights.

Therefore, it is advisable to prevent mistakes in advance by obtaining the assistance of an intellectual property attorney to clearly organize the scope of rights among the authors and to review the registration documents and requirements in accordance with legal standards.

Please note that it is advantageous to maximize legal protection by preparing a response strategy in advance in case a copyright infringement or dispute arises later.