How to Apply for Software Copyright Registration

🛠 Tools and Programming
1

Before applying for software copyright registration, you only need to prepare two documents: the source code documentation and either a software user manual or a design specification (templates provided below).

Software copyright registration is conducted via the China Copyright Protection Center’s official website. The website link is as follows:

http://www.ccopyright.com.cn/

If you have not registered before, you must first create an account. If applying as an individual, select “Individual” during registration.

Next, select “Computer Software Copyright Registration” from the options listed below, then choose R11 – Computer Software Copyright Application.

Select “I am the applicant”:

Fill in the required information. Note that the full software name and the abbreviated name must differ; the version number may be formatted as “V1.0” or simply “1.0”.

Enter the software development information. Important:

  • If multiple authors are involved, select “Collaborative Development” and upload a Collaborative Development Agreement. A template for this agreement is provided for download at the end of this document.
  • After selecting “Collaborative Development”, additional copyright holders can be added in the “Copyright Holder” section below.
  • All additional copyright holders must also register accounts on this website and complete real-name authentication.
  • The number entered for “Number of Certificate Copies” must match the total number of additional copyright holders.

Proceed to the “Software Functions and Features” page. Key points to note here:

  • The description of the software’s main functions should be at least 100 characters long.
  • The description of the software’s technical features should be at least 50 characters long.
  • If the source code exceeds 3,000 lines, the uploaded source code documentation must be exactly 61 pages long, with 50 lines per page.
  • If the source code is fewer than 3,000 lines, the source code documentation may be fewer than 61 pages.
    Below is an example of how I filled out this section—provided for your reference only:

Templates for Required Documents

Quark Cloud Drive — Extraction Code: 6Q74

References

https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/356710349

2

Generally, the whole process takes 1-2 months. Mine has been under acceptance for 1 week but hasn’t reached the review stage yet, no updates.

You are going through a regular application. Being under acceptance is a normal status. Regular applications under acceptance are expected to take about one month; the entire process takes 60-75 working days to issue the certificate. If there is a rejection, the time will be extended accordingly.
https://www.zhihu.com/question/588323945

3

Download and install Trae: https://www.trae.cn/

4

Recently, due to the surge in AI-generated software, obtaining software copyright registrations has become more difficult.