Certificate Terms & Reliance Policy

SWLEF generates a Certificate of Registration only when all of the following are true at the moment of generation:

1. the record’s internal status is Verified and its source is submitted evidence, i.e. documents were reviewed under the Evidence Review Methodology;
2. the dispute state is None;
3. the current date lies within the record’s validity window;
4. the company holding the record has the status Verified company and its compliance status is not Flagged;
5. the requesting user holds an access plan or record pass that includes certificate retrieval, or is the registrant itself.

Public metadata references, records under review, disputed, expired or private records never receive a certificate. Certificates are rendered on demand from the live record; there is no stock of pre-printed certificates.

A certificate attests that, on the issue date, the registry held a record for the identified work in the name of the identified company; that evidence of the stated level was submitted and reviewed under the published methodology; that the review found the stated scope supported with the stated confidence; and that the stated platform accounts were under the company’s control.

A certificate does not attest that the company owns the work as a matter of law, that no other party holds rights in it, that the documents reviewed are genuine beyond the checks described in the methodology, that any platform recognises the certificate, or that the holder may take any particular enforcement action. It is not a copyright registration, a licence, a title deed or an authorisation.

1. Scan the QR code, or open swlef.com/verify and enter the registry ID printed on the certificate.
2. Check that the verification page reports the record as Verified by evidence and that the company, work, scope and validity dates match the document in your hands.
3. Check the dispute state and the valid-until date on the page; a certificate for a record shown as Disputed, Expired, Under review or Public metadata reference is invalid.
4. Where the matter is significant, request the underlying documents from the rights holder and form your own view. SWLEF can confirm, on request from the rights holder, that specific documents are on file.

If the verification page cannot find the registry ID, the document was not issued by SWLEF or the record has been withdrawn. Report suspected forgeries to dmca@swlef.com with a copy of the document.

A certificate is valid only while the underlying record is verified, undisputed and within its validity window. It is revoked automatically — with immediate effect for every copy in circulation — when the record is marked Disputed, expires, is reclassified, is made private, or is withdrawn, or when the company loses its verified status. Revocation is visible instantly on the verification page; SWLEF does not and cannot recall printed or saved copies, which is why reliance on the file alone is excluded.

Renewal follows revalidation of the record under the Evidence Review Methodology. A renewed certificate carries the same registry ID with a new issue timestamp and validity window.

Platforms, broadcasters, distributors, counterparties and legal teams may use a valid certificate as a reliable statement of what the registry holds and as one element in their own assessment, for example to identify the party to contact about a work, to prioritise a rights-management application, to corroborate a notice, or to document due diligence. They may not treat it as conclusive proof of ownership, as a substitute for reviewing the underlying documents in a contested matter, or as a representation by any platform or authority.

SWLEF’s liability towards verifiers who rely on a certificate is limited as set out in the Terms of Service; verifiers are not parties to the registrant’s agreement with SWLEF and acquire no contractual claims against SWLEF by relying on a certificate.

• use the certificate only in its complete, unaltered form, including the signature, QR code, validity dates and disclaimer;
• stop using the certificate immediately when the record is disputed, expires or is withdrawn, and inform any party to whom it was presented;
• never describe the certificate as official, governmental, court-issued or platform-approved;
• never present a certificate for a scope, territory, window or platform other than the one printed on it;
• report to SWLEF any change in the facts underlying the record (transfer of rights, expiry of a licence, court decision) within 14 days.

Altering a certificate, generating documents that imitate SWLEF certificates, using the SWLEF name or mark on documents not issued by the registry, or presenting a revoked certificate as valid, constitutes a breach of the Terms of Service, an act of unfair competition and, where applicable, forgery of documents under Art. 251 of the Swiss Criminal Code or equivalent provisions elsewhere. SWLEF withdraws the affected records, blocks the responsible party, notifies affected counterparties and platforms, and may file a criminal complaint.