Copyright registration in Germany: there’s no register

Is there copyright registration in Germany?

No. The DPMA’s copyright page puts it plainly:

> "Unlike industrial property rights, copyright arises upon creation of the work. There are no formal requirements to be met. Accordingly, a registration in an official register is neither required nor possible in order to obtain copyright protection."

A DPMA press release from February 2024 says the same: "copyright automatically arises upon the creation of a work. Works include, for example, texts, pictures or pieces of music."

It contrasts this with "patents, utility models, trade marks and designs, under which protection does not start before the registration in the register".

What German copyright law protects

The English translation of the Copyright Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz) lists protected works in Section 2. They include, among others:

• "literary works, such as written works, speeches and computer programs"
• "musical works"
• "pantomimic works, including works of dance"
• "photographic works"

Section 2(2) adds: "Only the author’s own intellectual creations constitute works within the meaning of this Act." The DPMA says the same in shorter words: "Works protected by copyright are individual intellectual creations."

Section 7 says: "The author is the creator of the work." Section 64 sets the term: "Copyright expires 70 years after the author’s death."

The one register the DPMA does keep

The DPMA keeps a Register of Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works. It is not a copyright register. The DPMA says "the registration in the Register of Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works does not establish copyright protection of a work." It exists so the normal term of protection can apply to works published anonymously or under a pen name. The DPMA adds: "It is only a paper-based register and can be inspected at the DPMA."

Copyright registration in Germany vs a dated record

Because copyright starts when you create the work, the useful question is not "how do I register?" It is "how do I show when my work existed?" Good habits help:

• keep drafts, source files and exports, not just the final version
• keep emails and messages where you send work to clients or publishers
• keep the original files from your camera, recorder or design app
• timestamp key versions before you share them

How a TimeBind fits

Each file is fingerprinted (SHA-256) on your own device. We never receive or see the original file contents, and the fingerprint is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain. You get a Proof of Time Certificate that you or someone you share it with can check later. See how TimeBinder works, and check a file still matches its fingerprint.

Keep the exact file you timestamped, because any change gives it a new fingerprint. For the EU-wide position, see EU copyright without registration: how to show your work.

If a client or publisher doubts you wrote something, or suggests it was AI-generated, a dated fingerprint of your earlier drafts is something you can point to. See what to do if an author is accused of using AI.

For more, compare copyright registration vs a timestamp and the poor man’s copyright alternative, or read about keeping copyright records without registration. Other countries in this series include the UK and Ireland.

When TimeBinder isn’t the right tool

If you publish under a pen name and want the standard term to apply, look at the DPMA’s Register of Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works. If someone is using your work without permission, get legal advice; a timestamp won’t stop them. If you need a trade mark or design right, the DPMA says protection for those does not start before registration. And if you need a backup, use storage, because TimeBinder keeps no copy.

General information, not legal advice.