Professions
Protect your music: demos, lyrics and legal support
Your music travels before it is signed. Keep proof of every version, and get support if someone copies it.
Your music goes out before you do
A demo goes to a label, a publisher, a singer or a producer. It travels through a transfer link, a private message, a remote session. At this point nothing is signed, and the work is often not yet registered.
Your melody and lyrics are protected by copyright from the moment you create them. The day a chorus sounds too much like yours, you need to show you had it first. Ipocamp gives you that proof, and legal support to enforce it.
An example
The day your chorus plays on the radio
What happens
Picture a composer. In March, she sends a demo to three labels. None of them replies. In November, she recognizes her chorus in a single on the radio.
Without dated proof
She has her files, but their dates are easy to change and easy to dispute. She has to prove on her own that her melody existed before the single, and pay for a lawyer herself.
With Ipocamp
Her demo was deposited in March, before she sent it. The date is recorded in a public ledger that no one can rewrite. She calls the legal experts of her legal protection, and her defense costs are covered up to the limit of her plan.
Is your situation different?
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Automatically generated text, for illustration only, based on the sentence you entered. It describes an evidentiary position (what you could prove, and how). For an analysis suited to your situation, ask a legal professional for advice.
With Ipocamp
From demo to defense
March
She deposits before sending
As an Ipocamp subscriber, she deposits her demo and her production project as an archive. Each file gets its own timestamp, with her name as the author.
November
She calls a legal expert
Covéa Protection Juridique's legal experts answer by phone. She quickly learns whether her situation is a dispute and how to report it.
Assessment
The case is qualified
The preliminary assessment sets out what is protected, who owns it and what each deposit proves.
Conciliation
An amicable solution first
The legal experts seek removal, regularization or a negotiated agreement. Many cases are settled at this stage.
Proceedings
A lawyer if needed
If proceedings become necessary, her defense costs are covered up to €5,000 per dispute on the Individual plan. Her proof becomes the key piece of evidence.
Proof that stands on its own
One file, one date
Each file is timestamped on its own, at the moment of deposit. Every version of your song has its own date.
The author sealed with the file
When you deposit, you choose the author. Their name is sealed with the file fingerprint and is part of the proof.
Anyone can check it
An expert or a lawyer checks the date with standard tools, without going through Ipocamp.
Moments to timestamp
All file formats are accepted. Up to 2 GB per deposit without an account, unlimited with a subscription.
→The first idea: voice memo, chord chart, first lyrics.
→The demo: the audio file and your project file, as a compressed archive.
→Before each send: the exact version you share.
→When co-writing: each contribution, deposited by its author when it is made.
→The final version: master, stems, score and final lyrics.
Ipocamp and the Sacem
The Sacem, the French collecting society for music, manages and distributes your royalties when your work is played. You register your work with it, often at release. Ipocamp works before and during creation. It timestamps every version and supports you in a dispute. The two complement each other.
Frequently asked questions
How do I protect my music before registering it with the Sacem?
Your song is protected by copyright from the moment you create it. What you need is proof of its date. Deposit the demo on Ipocamp before you share it. You get a certificate whose date can no longer be changed.
Should I deposit every version?
Deposit each version that leaves your studio or marks a milestone. Dated versions show how the song took shape. Your first 5 deposits are free. The Individual plan then allows up to 300 deposits a year.
How do I prove co-writing?
Each co-writer deposits their contribution when they make it, from their own account. Each deposit keeps its date and its author. In a disagreement, these deposits show who contributed what, and when.
What should I do if my song is copied?
Gather the certificates for the versions concerned. If you are a subscriber, call the legal experts of the included legal protection. They tell you whether your situation is a dispute and how to report it.
When does the legal protection apply?
After a three-month waiting period, for a creation timestamped by Ipocamp, if your subscription has stayed active without interruption since that timestamp. So subscribe before you share your demos. The exact terms are in the Covéa information notice.
What about the Soleau envelope?
The Soleau envelope (e-Soleau) from INPI, the French national intellectual property office, also dates a creation, for five years renewable up to twenty. An Ipocamp certificate stays verifiable with no time limit and comes with legal protection. Our comparison covers both options.