From a folder of files to a filed application
Music, photography, design and literary work arrive with different source material and a different story about who did what. We gather that material, put in order whatever authorship documentation exists and file the registration with Colombia’s National Copyright Office (DNDA).
A lawyer at the firm reviews the file before it is submitted. Human review is part of the process, not an optional step.
Three steps, and the paperwork is on us
There is no form for you to fill in and no automatic result: a short call, a list of source material and a filing.
Step 1 of 3. You tell us what the work is
A short call to find out what type of work we are talking about, how many there are and who took part in each one. That is where the exact list of source material comes from.
Deliverable: the list of what has to be gathered
Step 2 of 3. We gather and review the source material
You send the files and whatever contracts exist; a lawyer at the firm checks that the authorship documentation is complete and flags what is missing before touching the form.
Deliverable: reviewed file, with the gaps flagged
Step 3 of 3. We file with the DNDA and follow it up
We submit the application, hand you the filing number and follow the case until the office rules on it. Whatever it issues, we pass on to you.
Deliverable: filing number and a copy of the file
What changes depending on what you made
Our work is the same in all four cases: what changes is the source material we ask you for and what has to be clarified about who did what. Further down you can see the rest of the copyright filings, according to who you are.
Music
Songs, arrangements, music for audiovisual work and the recordings that come out of them. It is almost never one person: the hard part here is putting in writing who composed, who wrote the lyrics, who performed and who produced.
What we ask you for
- The lyrics and the score, or a transcription
- The audio file of the version being registered
- The details of everyone who took part, with their role
Photography
A single image, a series or a whole season’s catalogue. If you shot them on commission or for a client, the first thing we review is what that contract says.
What we ask you for
- The files at their original resolution
- The dates and whatever metadata they still carry
- The commission contract, if there was one
Design
Visual identity, illustration, packaging, typefaces or a product interface. Plenty of design commissions overlap with trademark registration, and on the call we tell you which line covers what.
What we ask you for
- The editable files and the final versions
- The variants and applications you want to include
- The contract with whoever designed it, if it was outsourced
Literary work
A book, a manual, a course, a script or the content of your platform. If there was an editor, a translator or an illustrator, each one goes into the file with their role.
What we ask you for
- The final text, in a single file
- The table of contents or the structure, for a course or a manual
- The details of whoever wrote it and whoever took part
What registering adds to what you already have
[ PENDING — legal text to be drafted ]
Is what you need to register software? That file is prepared differently and has its own registration page
Pick where to start
Tell us who you are and you will see which other copyright filings apply to you.
What registering a work costs
You will always see what goes to the office separately from what we charge. Neither figure is confirmed yet, so we are not giving you a total we could not stand behind.
Official DNDA fee
If the filing carries a payment to the office, you will see it here and always separately from ours. We cannot tell you how much yet.
—to be definedUnverifiedTuAvocado fees
The list of source material, the lawyer’s review, the filing and the follow-up. The fee for this filing has not been set yet.
—to be definedUnverifiedWe are not giving you a total while those two figures are unconfirmed: adding them up would be making a number up. On the call we send you the quote for your case.
Preliminary figures: the principal attorney reviews them before they are published as final.
How long it takes, and what is not up to the firm
We have not set ours yet. The DNDA’s is not ours to set: a lawyer confirms it once we have seen your case.
- How long the firm takes to prepare and fileEstimated by the firm
- —to be definedUnverified
It depends mostly on how many works go into the same file and on whether the source material is complete.
- How long the DNDA takes to rule on the registrationSet by the regulation
[ PENDING — legal text to be drafted ]
What people ask us most
About copyright
General information about how our services work. This is not a legal opinion and does not replace advice from a lawyer on your specific case.
4 questions on this topicThey open in the support panel, without leaving this page.
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How many of your team’s works are unregistered?
Fifteen minutes to go over what your team produced, what source material exists today and which work to start with.