La Vega.– The General Director of the National Copyright Office (ONDA), José Rubén Gonell Cosme, reported that the institution surpassed during the first semester of 2026, the total number of registrations of scientific, artistic, and literary works achieved in 2025.
The announcement was made during the closing ceremony of ONDA’s participation in Expo Vega 2026. “In the first half of 2026, ONDA registered 34,506 works, surpassing the 32,967 reached during the entire year of 2025. This growth confirms that more and more creators understand the importance of protecting their rights,” expressed Gonell Cosme.
The official highlighted that this performance is due to the strengthening of institutional actions for the promotion of copyright and the growing interest of creators in legally protecting their works.
Likewise, he explained that the evolution of registrations has maintained an upward trend since 2021, which in his view evidences a greater awareness of the importance of guaranteeing the protection of the economic and moral rights of authors.
“Our commitment is to continue strengthening a culture of respect for copyright that promotes creativity, innovation, and the development of the country’s cultural industries,” he/she stated.
More Read
We recommend reading:
More than 400 works registered during Expo Vega
As part of its participation in Expo Vega 2026, the Customer Service Department of the ONDA developed a special day for work registration and public guidance, through which 422 works were certified, distributed into 215 artistic, 201 literary, and 6 scientific works.
More Read
During the 4 days of the fair, dozens of authors, artists, writers, and researchers took advantage of the institution’s presence to formalize the protection of their intellectual creations and receive guidance on the rights that correspond to them as owners of their works.
The event was held in a pavilion set up by ONDA within the fairgrounds, where the service for registering artistic, scientific, and literary works was offered free of charge.
The space was inaugurated by the ONDA general director, Gonell Cosme, together with the president of Expo Vega 2026, Icelsa García, and officials from the institution responsible for managing the national copyright system.
Guidance and training for the creative community
As part of the training actions developed during the fair, each author who registered a work received a copy of the guide “The Creative Sector Route: a guide for creators, users, and the general public,” a publication prepared by ONDA in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy, with the purpose of providing guidance on the scope of copyright and the mechanisms available for the protection of intellectual creations.
One of the central events of the program was the “Copyright, Related Rights and Management Societies” panel, held on July 31st. The activity brought together artists Charlie Mosquea, Pakolé, Miguel Braho, Nelson de la Olla, Mariano Aljadaki, Valerio de los Santos, Silvio Mora and Henry García, moderated by the Director General of ONDA.
During the meeting, broadcast by MicroVisión, the participants exchanged experiences on the importance of collective management, legal protection of works, and the strengthening of the national creative ecosystem.
At the opening of the panel, Gonell Cosme reiterated that the sustained growth in registrations reflects the trust that creators place in the institution and ONDA’s commitment to the effective protection of Dominican talent.
With its participation in Expo Vega 2026, the National Copyright Office reaffirmed its mission to promote respect for intellectual property, bring its services closer to the creative community, and strengthen the culture of copyright protection as a tool for the development of the creative and cultural industries of the Dominican Republic.
