Webtoon and Web Novel Creators Face Reduced Burden for Copyright Registration

Revised Copyright Law Rules Effective from the 7th
Fee Reduced from 20,000-30,000 Won to 10,000 Won Starting from the Second Registration

The burden of copyright registration costs for creators will be significantly reduced. The revised Copyright Act regulations will take effect from the 7th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the fees for works that are published sequentially in parts, such as webtoons and web novels, will be reduced from 20,000 to 30,000 KRW to 10,000 KRW starting from the second registration. For example, a creator who registers a 50-episode webtoon online each episode will see their cost burden decrease from the previous 1.18 million KRW to 690,000 KRW (41.5% reduction).

Jung Hyang-mi, Director of the Copyright Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "Many creators felt burdened by the cost every time they registered copyright for each episode and delayed registration until completion." She added, "Now, they will be able to register copyright from the first episode with a much lighter heart and prepare against related infringements." Without copyright registration, the creator must directly prove the infringement and the amount of damages. Conversely, with registration, infringement can be easily proven through the copyright register. Claims for statutory damages of up to 10 million KRW are also now possible.

The regulations also include expanding the scope of copyright registration fee exemptions. Previously, only recipients of livelihood or medical benefits under the National Basic Livelihood Security Act were exempt from fees. Going forward, fees will also be reduced for persons with disabilities, national merit recipients, and May 18 Democratic Movement merit recipients. However, the exemption is limited to 10 times per year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The revision also includes a provision to record the names and dates of birth of individuals who participated in the creation of works made in the course of employment in the copyright register. Previously, if the author of a work made in the course of employment by a person working for a corporation or organization was not specified by contract or otherwise, the corporation or organization was considered the author. The names of individuals who participated in the creative activity were not recorded during copyright registration, only the corporation’s name. Now, the copyright registration application form and program registration application form will include blank fields to record the names and dates of birth of individuals who participated in the creation of works made in the course of employment. This allows those involved in creative activities to use the copyright register for career verification and other purposes.

Director Jung stated, "Copyright registration is a very important mechanism for safe transactions, such as gaining enforceability against the other party in case of related disputes." She added, "With this system improvement, we will promote copyright registration activation to strengthen creators’ rights and further protect the copyrights of webtoons and web novels."