How to Report a Copyright Agency and Brokerage Business — Business Rules, Terms and Annual Performance Report

Procedure

1. 1. Check whether a report is required

   An agency and brokerage business concludes license agreements on behalf of economic right holders or connects them with users. A trust management business, which manages rights entrusted by right holders, is a separate business that requires a permit and must meet requirements such as being a non-profit association of right holders.

2. 2. Check grounds for disqualification

   Persons under adult guardianship, bankrupts not reinstated, persons within 1 year after completing a sentence of imprisonment without labor or heavier, persons on probation, persons within 1 year after a fine for violating the Copyright Act or for embezzlement or breach of trust under the Criminal Act, and persons without an address in Korea cannot report. For a corporation, none of the representative or officers may fall under these grounds.

3. 3. Draft the business rules

   Prepare business rules containing the copyright agency and brokerage contract terms (with right holders) and the work license contract terms (with users). Since you may receive commissions, state the commission criteria clearly in the terms.

4. 4. Submit the report and receive the certificate

   Attach the business rules, the résumé of the reporter (the representative and officers for a corporation or organization), the articles of incorporation or bylaws (corporation or organization) and financial statements (corporation) to the copyright agency and brokerage business report form. If no decision on acceptance is notified within the set period, the report is deemed accepted on the day after the period ends.

5. 5. Reporting obligations after filing

   By March 31 every year, report the previous year's performance including the types and quantity of works handled and the royalties and commissions. Report the list of managed works, rights information and contact details as of the last day of each month by the 10th of the following month (may be omitted if unchanged), and file a change report if reported matters change.

Required documents

• Copyright agency and brokerage business report form
• Copyright agency and brokerage business rules (agency and brokerage contract terms, work license contract terms)
• Résumé of the reporter (résumés of the representative and officers for a corporation or organization)
• Articles of incorporation or bylaws (for a corporation or organization)
• Financial statements (for a corporation)
• Letter of authorization (when submitted by an agent)

Fees

Generally in the hundreds of thousands of won in the industry · We quote after consultation depending on whether the business rules and terms are drafted from scratch or existing contracts are revised.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Copyright Act, Article 105
• Copyright Act, Article 109
• Enforcement Decree of the Copyright Act, Article 48
• Enforcement Decree of the Copyright Act, Article 52
• Enforcement Rule of the Copyright Act, Article 19
• Enforcement Rule of the Copyright Act, Article 20

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-05

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Missing the March 31 annual performance report is grounds for a business suspension.
• If the representative or an officer becomes disqualified, replace them within 6 months to avoid a business suspension.

Frequently asked questions