24th March 2023

We have improved the way we produce duplicate works.

If you ever need evidence to help prove your claim of copyright ownership (or just need a copy of what you submitted for any other reason) you can ask us to supply a copy of work you have previously registered. In the past we supplied duplicate works on read-only media (typically CD/DVD) to ensure that there could be no claim of tampering, but in the modern age many computers do not have the facility to read optical media and there is a growing expectation for everything to be available online.

To solve this problem, from the 22th March 2023 all duplicate works we produce are supplied with a verifiable, high assurance, digitally signed, manifest that lists the SHA512 hash for each individual file. This means that any files in a duplicate work can be independently verified by comparing a hash of the file with the hash for that file in the manifest.

Also, from the 24th March 2023, clients ordering duplicate works can access them as a secure digital download, using a unique link and authentication code combination.

Authenticity and verification

As a duplicate work can be used as evidence in a legal claim, it is important that it represents a true, verifiable and accurate copy of the work as it was submitted to us on the registration date, so we have gone to great lengths to ensure that the evidence we supply is not only true and correct, but that it can be independently checked and verified that no one has tampered with the copy we have supplied as evidence.

• The manifest that accompanies a duplicate work can authenticated by uploading the digital signature along with the manifest via our verification system at: http://copyrightservice.co.uk/services/workverification
  Successful verification of a manifest means that all information and file hashes listed on the manifest exactly match the files we supplied. If a manifest or signature has been altered in any way (e.g. if someone changes a hash to match a different file), the manifest will fail verification.
   
• The authenticity of individual files supplied can be verified by checking the SHA512 hash for a file and checking that against the hash specified in manifest.
  If a file has been altered in any way the SHA512 hash will not match the manifest.

By combining these methods anyone provided with a duplicate work can be assured that it is a true and accurate copy of the files we hold in evidence and verify for themselves that the files have not been altered in any way.

Further information and instructions on how to verify works can be found at: https://copyrightservice.co.uk/services/duplicate-work-explained