Copyright protection in Switzerland
Let's talkCopyright
Copyright arises automatically for qualifying works; Switzerland has no copyright register.
Copyright arises automatically, but proving what you created, when, and that you own it is what holds up when it matters. We put that proof in place and build the ownership trail behind it, so your software, designs, written work and brand creative are demonstrably yours and ready to be licensed, sold or defended.
We advise on registration and dating evidence where it is available (including across our Eastern network), structure assignments and licences so rights sit with the right entity, and monitor for misuse online.
The traffic runs both ways: we also clear the rights you need in other people's work, so the fonts, images, music, code and agency output inside your own products are properly licensed rather than a liability waiting to surface.
If someone crosses the line, we move from takedown to formal enforcement and support any litigation, so your creative output stays an asset you control rather than one you lose by default.
- 0 registersCopyright arises on creation - nothing to file in Switzerland
- 70 yearsAfter the author's death for most works
- 50 yearsAfter the author’s death for computer programs
- By assignmentHow rights transfer
Establish what you own
A map of who created what and when: employees, freelancers, agencies, founders before incorporation, open-source components.
Fix the chain of title
Assignments and licences drafted so the rights actually sit with the entity that needs them, before an investor or acquirer asks.
Create the evidence
Dated records, version history and timestamps for the material that is not in any register, taken now rather than reconstructed later.
Clear what you use
Fonts, images, music, code and libraries checked.
Enforce
Takedowns, cease-and-desist, customs recordals and litigation support when your work is used without permission.
Paying an invoice does not transfer copyright. Under Swiss law the rights in a commissioned work stay with the creator unless they are assigned to you.
- Registration and ownership strategy
- Evidence of authorship and dating
- Acquisition and transfer of rights
- Assignments and licence agreements
- Clearing permissions to use third-party works
- Software, design and content protection
- Monitoring and online enforcement
- Takedowns and infringement actions
- Customs recordals
- Dispute resolution and litigation support
- Mediation and negotiated settlements
Official sources (English unless indicated): IPI: copyright basics · IPI: assigning copyright.
Copyright - the questions we are asked most
Do I need to register copyright?
In Switzerland, copyright arises automatically when the legal requirements are met; there is no copyright register. Literary and artistic works generally need individual character. Photographs of three-dimensional objects also receive protection without individual character. Most works are protected for 70 years after the author’s death, computer programs for 50 years after death, and photographs without individual character for 50 years after their creation.
How do I prove that my work existed on a given date?
Keep dated source files, version histories, correspondence and signed handover records. We can help you organise these materials and review the ownership documentation relevant to your work.
My agency built our website. Who owns it?
Unless the contract assigns the rights to you, very possibly the agency does, and the same goes for a logo, photography or source code produced by a contractor. Paying for the work does not by itself transfer copyright under Swiss law. This is one of the most common findings in a pre-investment IP review, and it is much cheaper to fix while the relationship is still good.
Can I use fonts, stock images and open-source code freely?
Only within their licences, and the licences differ enormously. Some fonts are not licensed for embedding in an app; some stock images exclude use in a logo; some open-source licences require you to publish your own source code if you distribute the result. We review what you are using and tell you where the exposure actually is.
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DO Innovations S.A. Chemin de Bon-Abri 26a1007 Lausanne
Switzerland +41 79 199 80 73
admin@do-innovations.ch Let's talk