Copyright assignment
We formalize the assignment of a work's economic rights at SAPI: the author transfers to someone else the right to exploit it. From $150.
Requesting a quote doesn't commit you to anything
- You tell us about your case. It's free.
- We send you the price in writing, within 1 to 3 hours.
- You decide. If it works for you, we start. If not, you delete it with one click and pay nothing.
No one will pressure you. Your information is used only for your case.
Is it for you?
If any of these sounds like you, this procedure is for you.
- Authors who are going to transfer the economic rights to their work, and companies, publishers or production companies that acquire them and want the assignment formalized and recorded so they can exploit the work with backing
What's included and what isn't
Everything clear from the start. No fine print.
Includes
- Review or structuring of the assignment contract.
- Spelling out which economic rights are assigned and their scope.
- Handling of the assignment's formalization at SAPI.
- A clear assignment, enforceable against third parties.
Does not include
- Prior registration of the work, if it isn't registered yet (a separate service: Copyright registration of a work).
- A license, which authorizes use without transferring ownership (a separate service: Copyright license).
- Assigning moral rights, which by law can't be transferred.
- SAPI's fees, which are paid separately.
What you need
Check off what you already have. You don't need everything to request your quote.
You have 0 of 5.
- Details of the work and its registration, if any
- Details of the assigning author and of the acquirer
- Which economic rights are assigned and their scope
- Assignment contract, if you already have one
- Your contact details to coordinate
How the process works
You do very little. We take care of the rest.
- Step 1
We review the assignment
We study or structure the contract.
We do this - Step 2
We define the scope
We set which rights are assigned and how far.
We do this - Step 3
We formalize at SAPI
We handle the recording.
We do this - Result
Done
The assignment is clear and enforceable.
You receive it
SAPI (Venezuela's intellectual property office) sets the recording timeline; we stay with you through the process.
What it costs and how to pay
There are two separate payments, and we want you to see them clearly.
Our fee: we do all the work for you.
SAPI's fees. It goes straight to the agency, and we give you the exact amount, with its receipt, before you pay anything.
How you pay: 50% when we start and 50% on delivery. In dollars, in bolívares at the official BCV exchange rate, or with Cashea.
How is your investment calculated?
Your investment covers our handling of the assignment. What you pay us, professional fees from $150 to review the contract, define the scope and handle the formalization
SAPI's fees are paid separately Your lawyer gives you the exact figure before you pay anything, no strings attached.
FAQ
What happens if I buy a work, software or a design without a formal assignment?
You're not the owner: the author still holds the economic rights and can claim the right to exploit it. You paid, but you didn't acquire.
Are all rights assigned?
The economic rights, yes; moral rights can't be transferred by law.
How much does it cost?
The professional fee from $150 covers drafting the assignment contract and formalizing it; SAPI's fee, if there's a recording, is paid separately.
How is it different from a license?
An assignment transfers ownership; a license only authorizes use.
Why formalize it?
So no one can dispute later who gets to exploit the work.
About this procedure
When a work starts making money, or promises to, the key question comes up: who has the right to exploit it commercially. Copyright has two sides: moral rights, which belong to the author and can't be transferred (you'll always be the creator), and economic rights, which can be assigned to someone else (a publisher, a production company, a business) so they can exploit them commercially. A copyright assignment is the contract that makes that transfer clear and enforceable against third parties.
The trouble with doing it wrong, or not formalizing it at all, is that it leaves a very expensive gray area: an author who assigned the rights verbally and later makes a claim, a company that invested in exploiting a work whose rights were never properly transferred, heirs arguing over what was assigned and what wasn't. With creations that are worth something, that ambiguity ends up in court. Formalizing and recording the assignment gives an intangible asset a clean title, so whoever exploits it has backing and whoever assigned it gets no surprises.
We tie that transfer up properly: we review or structure the assignment contract, spell out which rights are assigned and with what scope, and handle its formalization at SAPI. The price starts at $150 and is adjusted to the case. A lawyer reviews your situation and confirms with you before we start, no strings attached.
Legal framework and important notes
Ley sobre el Derecho de Autor (Copyright Law)
- The right is born when the work is created. Registration doesn't create it; it provides proof of fecha cierta (a legally certain date, so it holds up against third parties) and of authorship.
- It transfers the economic rights; moral rights can't be assigned by law.
- It's different from a license, which authorizes use without transferring ownership.
- It's best to register the work first.
- It leaves the asset with a clean, enforceable title.
- Fees are paid separately.
We guarantee our service, not what the agency decides. If something depends on them, we tell you clearly and in time.
Is your case different?Ask us, message us on WhatsApp or book a free consultation. A real person answers you.