If you are a content creator such as a musician, writer, software developer, or work in the production of copyright-protected works, this is important for you! The National Intellectual Rights Service of Ecuador (SENADI) has established a new regulation for registering contracts related to the assignment of economic rights and license agreements. The Technical Standard SENADI-DNDAYDC-2025-0002-NT came into effect on March 6, 2025, aiming to ensure the proper registration of contracts related to copyright. It establishes guidelines and requirements for registering the assignment of economic rights and license agreements for works or performances.
Contracts for the assignment of economic rights must be written in Spanish and signed by the parties, with signatures validated electronically or before a notary public. These contracts must include essential details such as the parties involved, a declaration of the originality of the work, the rights assigned, the territorial scope, and the duration of the contract, among others. Contracts may be exclusive or non-exclusive; registration is mandatory for exclusive contracts and optional for non-exclusive contracts, upon request and payment of the corresponding fee.
Regarding license agreements, whether exclusive or sublicensed, the contracts must include specific details about the work, the territory, duration, and authorization for sublicensing. The corresponding fee payment and authentication of signatures are also required. Additionally, any modifications related to the ownership of economic rights or the contract’s subject matter must be registered following the established procedures. If errors are found during the registration process, the applicant will have ten days to correct them; otherwise, the request will be archived.
Before this regulation, there was no standardized procedure for contract registration, leading to confusion among authors and companies. Now, with defined criteria and a regulated process, procedures are carried out with greater clarity and accuracy, protecting the rights of the parties involved against third parties.
Janet Hernandez C.
