Professions
Creative agencies: protect your pitches and deliverables
Your concepts circulate before the contract is signed. Timestamp every proposal before you present it, and keep a foothold if it is reused.
Your ideas leave the agency before they are paid for
Pitches, recommendations, mock-ups sent by email. Each time, the agency shows its work before signing. If the concept is not chosen, it still stays in the prospect's hands.
An idea on its own is not protected. Its form is, by copyright, from the moment it is created: visuals, copy, mock-ups, logos, videos. You still have to prove it existed at your agency first. Ipocamp timestamps each file in the agency's name, and gives you legal support to enforce it.
An example
The day your concept reappears
What happens
Imagine an agency. In March, it presents three campaign concepts in a competitive pitch. It is not selected. In June, the advertiser's new campaign reuses the concept it had proposed, with the same visual idea and the same tagline.
Without dated proof
The agency has its files and emails, but nothing that fixes their content and date with certainty. The advertiser claims it developed the idea in-house. The agency has to prove everything alone, and pay for the proceedings alone.
With Ipocamp
The mock-ups, visuals and pitch deck were timestamped before the pitch, in the agency's name. Their date is recorded in a public ledger that nobody can rewrite. The agency calls the legal experts of its legal protection cover to open the discussion with the advertiser.
Is your situation different?
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With Ipocamp
From pitch to defense
February
It timestamps work in progress
Moodboards, concepts, first mock-ups. Each file gets its date, in the name of the agency and its authors.
March
It timestamps before presenting
The day before the pitch, it timestamps the deck exactly as it will be shown. It keeps an exact record of what it proposed.
June
It calls a legal expert
Covéa Protection Juridique's legal experts answer by phone. The agency quickly knows whether its situation is a dispute.
Conciliation
It seeks an agreement
The legal experts first look for an amicable solution (removal, regularisation, negotiated agreement). If proceedings are needed, lawyer's fees are covered up to the limit.
Who owns the rights in an agency
Employees and freelancers
Under French law, the author of a creation generally keeps their rights, even as an employee. The agency therefore needs a written assignment with its employees and freelancers. Ipocamp lets you name several authors on a deposit and show who did what.
Assignment to the client
French copyright law requires a written assignment that specifies the rights assigned, their scope, purpose, territory and duration. The Ipocamp certificate fixes the exact version of the deliverables concerned.
Deposits in the agency's name
On the Independent Pro and Professional plans, deposits are made in the company's name. The Professional plan adds 3 licences and deposits per team member.
What the legal protection covers
Copyright, on every plan
Original visuals, copy, mock-ups and videos fall under copyright, covered from the Individual plan.
Trademarks and designs, on the Professional plan
The Professional plan adds them to the cover, with a limit of €10,000 per dispute.
A three-month waiting period
The cover applies three months after you subscribe, for a creation timestamped by Ipocamp, provided the subscription has remained active since that timestamp.
Moments to timestamp
All formats are accepted. Up to 2 GB per deposit without an account, no limit with a subscription.
→Moodboards and research.
→Concepts and mock-ups, at every version.
→The pitch deck, the day before every pitch or recommendation.
→Source files (Figma, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign), not just exports.
→Approved deliverables, with the purchase order or rights assignment.
Frequently asked questions
How do you protect a creative concept presented in a pitch?
An idea on its own is not protected, but its form is protected by copyright. Timestamp the mock-ups, visuals and copy on Ipocamp before the pitch. You will be able to prove what you showed, and when.
Do you need a confidentiality agreement before a pitch?
It is recommended when the prospect agrees to one. The agreement sets the rules, and the Ipocamp deposit proves what was handed over. The two work together.
Who is the author of a creation made by a team?
Each person who contributed an original part can be a co-author. Name all the authors when you make the deposit, and arrange in writing for their rights to be assigned to the agency.
Does Ipocamp replace registering a logo as a trademark?
No. The Ipocamp deposit dates the creation of the logo. The trademark, registered with INPI, protects its commercial use. The two work together.
How many deposits does an agency get?
The Independent Pro and Professional plans include unlimited deposits. Your first 5 deposits are free, no account needed.