Cancellation of Joint Authorship Registration for 'Geomjeong Gomu-shin' by Ex Officio Disposition

Ministry of Culture Welcomes Decision, "Strengthening Legal Support"

On the 16th, the Korea Copyright Commission revoked the joint authorship registration for nine characters of 'Geomeun Gomsin' ex officio. Only the late writer Lee Woo-young was recognized as the author. This is the first implementation of the 'ex officio cancellation registration system' introduced in August 2020. It clearly established that those who did not actually participate in the creation cannot be copyright holders.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expressed its welcome. Taking this decision as an opportunity, it plans to strengthen legal support to protect creators' rights from unfair contract clauses. Since April, the Ministry has been operating the Copyright Commission and the Copyright Legal Support Center for preventive measures. They employ two professional lawyers to provide phone and in-person consultations to creators facing copyright infringement or disputes. They also operate a 'Visiting Legal Service Support Group' composed of twenty-six professional lawyers. A Ministry official stated, "Since the center opened, the number of consultations has increased by 33% compared to those received by the Copyright Commission last year."

The Ministry also promotes education for creators and prospective creators who lack knowledge about copyright. Unlike traditional didactic education, it is organized in the form of talk shows, attracting 3,123 participants by the end of last month. A Ministry official said, "We plan to conduct education for 6,000 people by the end of the year and expand the target audience next year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.