YanKleber
Retired
Good day everyone!
Here in Brasil we have a public organ where you can make the registration of your songs (the National Music School) and that charges $15 per title that is kind of a ripoff). Examining the Law some people have raised the affirmation that differently of what was supposed before you don't need to register your songs specifically THERE to have a proof of authorship.
Based on this assumption recently several sites popped offering online registration and supporting their service in a kind of digital certificate. Those sites charge like $2.50 per title and there are a LOT of people getting their service. There is one site that alone has over 100,000 registered songs.
Among a plethora of sites that don't transmit me enough trusting (including the one mentioned above) I found one that has a more serious aspect called 'avctoris' (avctoris.com) and that explains that they emit their certificate based on a Berna Convention called WIPO. They say a lot of more 'blah-blah-blah' but I am not the kind of dude used to get sold with BS.
Anyway, second them, they will emit what they claim to be an 'auto-sufficient' digital certificate containing things like a time stamp, a hash code SHA2, a digital signature and a QR code. By 'auto-sufficient' they ensure that keeping this digital certificate with me, if some day another person steal my song I can claim for my rights and use this certificate as a proof of authorship.
OK, everything seems to make sense but what puzzles me is that being a IT professional I know that ANYONE can generate a digital file containing a lot of stuff like codes and numbers and whatever and yet it doesn't mean anything legal. Fact is how could I ensure myself that this digital piece that they claim to be a valid document is really valid? I am an old timer and I grew up being said that legal stuff should be have a record in some kind of government official house. For instances, if you buy a piece of land you cannot generate a 'digital certificate' as a proof of ownership for that. I don't know how it works in other countries but here in Brasil you have to be in a place called 'cartory' where you will register all the documentation and will receive a public faith document for that. I am sure that in the rest of the world, with slight differences probably exist something similar to that.
From my point of view this digital document that confirms song authorship should be registered somewhere like a recognized institution.
I am not doubting about the honesty of these sites. My concern is that having my songs registered only in their servers, what will happen if in a year or two they decide to close the doors and turn off the lights and move to a completely different business? Then can just wipe their hard disks and then there will not a registration anywhere else but the stuff they sent to me. Then I can be involved on a legal fight and the judge in charge to ask for a proof that my document is legit and I won't have a way of do that. I hope you have understood my point?
My questions are:
1) Do you guys have heard about such kind of authorship registration through a digital certificate?
2) If yes, would you refer me an international organ/company respected and reliable where I could register my songs with a total peace of mind?
Thanks!
Here in Brasil we have a public organ where you can make the registration of your songs (the National Music School) and that charges $15 per title that is kind of a ripoff). Examining the Law some people have raised the affirmation that differently of what was supposed before you don't need to register your songs specifically THERE to have a proof of authorship.
Based on this assumption recently several sites popped offering online registration and supporting their service in a kind of digital certificate. Those sites charge like $2.50 per title and there are a LOT of people getting their service. There is one site that alone has over 100,000 registered songs.
Among a plethora of sites that don't transmit me enough trusting (including the one mentioned above) I found one that has a more serious aspect called 'avctoris' (avctoris.com) and that explains that they emit their certificate based on a Berna Convention called WIPO. They say a lot of more 'blah-blah-blah' but I am not the kind of dude used to get sold with BS.
Anyway, second them, they will emit what they claim to be an 'auto-sufficient' digital certificate containing things like a time stamp, a hash code SHA2, a digital signature and a QR code. By 'auto-sufficient' they ensure that keeping this digital certificate with me, if some day another person steal my song I can claim for my rights and use this certificate as a proof of authorship.
OK, everything seems to make sense but what puzzles me is that being a IT professional I know that ANYONE can generate a digital file containing a lot of stuff like codes and numbers and whatever and yet it doesn't mean anything legal. Fact is how could I ensure myself that this digital piece that they claim to be a valid document is really valid? I am an old timer and I grew up being said that legal stuff should be have a record in some kind of government official house. For instances, if you buy a piece of land you cannot generate a 'digital certificate' as a proof of ownership for that. I don't know how it works in other countries but here in Brasil you have to be in a place called 'cartory' where you will register all the documentation and will receive a public faith document for that. I am sure that in the rest of the world, with slight differences probably exist something similar to that.
From my point of view this digital document that confirms song authorship should be registered somewhere like a recognized institution.
I am not doubting about the honesty of these sites. My concern is that having my songs registered only in their servers, what will happen if in a year or two they decide to close the doors and turn off the lights and move to a completely different business? Then can just wipe their hard disks and then there will not a registration anywhere else but the stuff they sent to me. Then I can be involved on a legal fight and the judge in charge to ask for a proof that my document is legit and I won't have a way of do that. I hope you have understood my point?
My questions are:
1) Do you guys have heard about such kind of authorship registration through a digital certificate?
2) If yes, would you refer me an international organ/company respected and reliable where I could register my songs with a total peace of mind?
Thanks!