Intellectual Rights Department

Chile’s first copyright law was published in the El Araucano newspaper on 24 July 1834. Initially, the task of registering work and holding copies fell to the Santiago Public Library and then the National Library.

In 1970, Intellectual Rights Department was created. As well as registering rights and their transfer, it also prepares reports in response to requests from individuals and public services and advises the government on matters involving copyright and other related forms of intellectual property and its protection.

The Intellectual Rights Department is headed by a register of intellectual property, who acts as technical adviser to the government and is responsible for responding to all national or international requirements regarding the management, conservation and storage of registration documents relating to copyright as from 1834 through to the present.

In addition, the Intellectual Rights Department plays an important educational and outreach role, organizing workshops and other activities, in order to foster a culture of respect for and the promotion of copyright.

Collections

The Intellectual Rights Department holds copies of more than 255,000 literary, artistic and scientific works, produced in Chile and overseas, dating back to the early twentieth century. It is, as a result, a key repository of the country´s creative memory.

Its collection includes, for example, the works of the poets Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda and Vicente Huidobro; the music of Violeta Parra and Víctor Jara; the Condorito comic strips; the scripts and copies of hundreds of Chilean films; and advertising posters used in Chile by local and international companies.