Generalization of Content Copyright Registration... Record High Last Year

65,360 Cases... 38.87% Increase Compared to 2019
Notable Rise in Video Registrations... Up 38% from Previous Year

Copyright registration is becoming more common in line with the expansion of the content industry. According to the Korea Copyright Commission on the 24th, the number of copyrights registered last year was 65,360. This surpassed the 61,885 registrations in 2020, marking an all-time high. Compared to 47,063 in 2019, the growth rate reached 38.87%. The number of registered rights holders also increased by 7.49% to 18,043. The number of businesses, including corporations, rose by 11.1% to 6,080. The Copyright Commission explained, "This is interpreted as an effort to recognize copyright as property rights and to protect its industrial value."

The field showing the most notable increase was video content. The number of related copyrights grew by 38% compared to the previous year. The Copyright Commission analyzed, "This is because the time spent using digital content increased and continuous consumption demand arose following the establishment of a non-face-to-face culture." According to the 'Content Usage Trends in the Digital Transformation Era' recently published by the Korea Creative Content Agency, Korean consumers spend an average of 4 hours per day on digital content. The average number of paid subscription platforms they subscribe to is 2.7.

By type of work, visual arts (37%) accounted for the largest share. Webtoons, emoticons, and others showed a continuous growth trend. Computer programs (27%), literature and language (10%), and editing (9%) followed in order. The Copyright Commission explained the increase in computer programs by saying, "In the digital transformation era, there is growing recognition of the value of intellectual property and efforts to protect software technology." It added, "Copyright registration guarantees rights for 70 years after the author's death, allowing for easy rights protection in case of litigation," and stated, "We will continue to expand the provision of high-quality information services to contribute to policy and industry development."