How companies and records are examined
No company can connect a platform account, submit evidence for a work or receive a certificate before it passes compliance review. This page explains every stage of that review, the statuses you will see, how long it takes and what each outcome means — so that registrants know what to prepare and verifiers know what a verified company stands for.
Why the review exists
A registry that accepts any claim is worthless to the platforms, broadcasters and lawyers who consult it. SWLEF therefore reviews the company before it reviews the work: a verified status on a record is only meaningful if the entity behind it exists, is represented by someone with authority, and is not a party the registry must not serve. The review is documented, applied uniformly, and repeated when circumstances change. It is an internal, evidence-based procedure; SWLEF is not an investigation committee, a sanctions authority or a government unit.
The seven stages
The company’s legal name, registration number, VAT number, registered address and website are matched against the submitted register extract or certificate of incorporation and, where a public register exists, against that register. The company must prove control of its e-mail domain (DNS record or a message from an address on the domain). Shell entities, dormant companies and companies whose documents cannot be reconciled do not pass.
The person acting for the company must be shown to have authority: a signatory listed in the register extract, a board resolution, or a power of attorney naming the person for registry matters. Where a document requires it, the signatory’s identity document is checked and immediately discarded after the check.
The company, its listed representatives and, where known, its beneficial owners are screened against applicable sanctions lists (including Swiss SECO, EU, UN and OFAC lists) and against internal risk indicators such as prior fraudulent submissions. A hit sets the compliance status to Flagged and suspends every review until resolved. SWLEF is not a sanctions authority; this is an internal control to protect the registry and the parties that rely on it.
Ownership declarations are cross-checked against the submitted agreements and against public sources: production credits, prior publications, catalogue data and existing registry records. Inconsistencies are put to the registrant before any status is assigned.
The sequence of production, assignment and licence documents is reconstructed from the origin of the work to the registrant. The result is recorded as Yes (complete), Partial (gaps identified and stated on the record) or No, and determines the evidence level and confidence grade under the Evidence Review Methodology.
The work is screened against competing claims, prior disputes, duplicate records and known adverse decisions. A substantiated conflict places the record in Disputed status until the parties or a competent authority resolve it.
Verified companies and records are monitored for expiry of authorisations, lapsed platform connections, changes in compliance status and incoming notices. Random quality audits re-examine a sample of verified records every quarter.
Company statuses
- Pending review
- Documents received; the review has not started. Typical waiting time: 1–3 business days.
- Under compliance review
- A reviewer is working on the file. Additional documents may be requested.
- More information required
- The file is incomplete or inconsistent; the request lists exactly what is missing. The review resumes when the documents arrive.
- Verified company
- Identity and authority confirmed on the review date. The company may connect platform accounts, submit works and receive certificates. Verification of the company is not a statement about ownership of any work.
- Rejected
- The documents could not be reconciled, were found to be altered, or the company failed screening. Reasons are given; the decision may be appealed once.
- Flagged (compliance status)
- A sanctions or risk hit is open. All reviews, connections and certificates are suspended.
What to prepare
- A current register extract or certificate of incorporation (issued within the last 12 months) and the VAT registration where one exists.
- Proof of representative authority for the person who will manage the account.
- Access to the company’s DNS or an e-mail address on the company domain for domain verification.
- For each work: the ownership, transfer and licence documents described in the Evidence Review Methodology, complete with schedules and signatures.
- Where platform administration is claimed: exports or screenshots of the rights-management tool and the official accounts to be connected.
Timelines and confidentiality
Company review is normally concluded within 3–5 business days of receiving a complete file; work reviews follow the timelines in the Evidence Review Methodology. All documents are stored privately, outside the web root, fingerprinted with SHA-256, and visible only to authorised reviewers bound by confidentiality. They are never published and are retained as set out in the Data Retention Policy.
After verification
A verified company may connect official platform accounts (see platform authorization support), submit works for evidence review and, once a work is verified, generate certificates under the Certificate Terms & Reliance Policy. Verification is revisited whenever a notice, a conflict, a sanctions update or a change of representatives is brought to SWLEF’s attention, and decisions may be appealed under the Appeals, Disputes & Notices Policy.
Questions about a pending review: dmca@swlef.com, quoting your company registry ID.