Copyright lawyer in Almaty — we establish rights before a conflict arises, not after the work has been stolen

Message us on WhatsApp

A copyright lawyer reviews the documents for a work with the author at the office in Almaty

First consultation free of charge, including online
We protect texts, photos, videos, music, design and code
We draft contracts so that the rights stay with you
We recover compensation for unlawful use

Intellectual property

We help establish authorship before it is needed in a dispute

We draft author's order and rights transfer contracts

We prepare claims and lawsuits for unlawful use of works

We recover compensation and secure the removal of others' publications

We handle disputes over rights between authors, clients and employers

Analysis of your situation: what confirms authorship, who currently holds the rights under the documents, and what can be claimed from the infringer.

Message us on WhatsApp

14^years

in civil practice

Disputes over rights, contracts and compensation, including intellectual property.
120⁺

rights protection cases

Photos, texts, design, music, software code and advertising materials.
70^%

resolved by a demand letter

Most infringers remove the material and pay after a well-drafted demand.
0^₸

initial assessment

First we review the documents and say whether there is an infringement and what to do about it.

Fixing authorship

We help gather evidence of the creation of a work: source files, drafts, deposit, dated publications.

Copyright commissioning agreement

A document for the creation of a work with a clear description of the result, deadlines and who the rights pass to.

Assignment and licence

Assignment of rights or a licence agreement: scope of permitted use, term, territory and remuneration.

Demand letter to the infringer

A demand to remove the material, stop the use and pay compensation. In most cases the matter is resolved at this stage.

Recovery of compensation

A claim for unlawful use of a work: preparing evidence, calculating the claim, handling the case.

Plagiarism and borrowing

We work out where it is adaptation and where it is infringement, and build a position taking into account permissible quotation.

Employer's and client's rights

Works made for hire and contractors' works: who owns the result and how to formalise it correctly.

Protection against third-party claims

A claim has been brought against you for the use of material — we check the grounds and dismiss unfounded claims.

Is your work being used without permission? We will sort out the rights and issue a demand

The first consultation is free. If the use is lawful — for example, it falls under quotation — we will say so straight away rather than leading you into a hopeless dispute.

Message us on WhatsApp +7 778 325 44 44

For authors and freelancers
For studios and agencies
For companies and rights holders

Cost

Cost of services copyright lawyer

Guidelines for common enquiries. The amount depends on the volume of materials and the stage of the dispute; it is quoted after the review and fixed in the contract.

Service	What is included	Cost
Consultation on copyright	Review of the situation and assessment of the prospects of a claim	free of charge
Legal opinion	A written analysis of the rights, the infringement and the options for action	from 45,000 ₸
Author's commission agreement	An individual agreement for the creation of a work	from 70,000 ₸
Licence agreement	Terms of use: scope, term, territory, remuneration	from 80,000 ₸
Demand letter to the infringer	Demand to cease use and pay compensation	from 50,000 ₸
Claim for recovery of compensation	Preparation of evidence and conduct of the case in court	from 200,000 ₸
Establishing authorship	Collecting evidence of creation and depositing the work	from 40,000 ₸
Defence against a third-party claim	Review of grounds and preparation of a response	from 60,000 ₸

Prices are indicative and do not constitute a public offer. State duty, deposit, notarial inspection of a website and expert examinations are paid separately and directly — we do not earn on them.

Find out the cost for my case

How the work is carried out copyright lawyer

Review of the situation

We establish what the work is, when it was created and what has already happened: contracts, publications, correspondence with the infringer.

Rights check

We look at who owns the rights according to the documents. It often turns out that the author transferred them himself, without noticing a term in the contract.

Recording the infringement

Screenshots, a notarial inspection of the page, saving the publication. It is almost impossible to prove a removed item.

Assessing the prospects

We calculate the amount of the claim and tell you honestly what can realistically be recovered and whether it is worth taking the case to court.

Fixed-fee contract

We set out the scope of work and the amount in writing, before we start. No additional invoices appear.

Letter of demand

A demand to stop the use, remove the material and pay compensation. Most disputes are resolved at this stage.

Court

If the demand is ignored, we prepare the claim, conduct the case and, where necessary, apply for an expert examination.

Enforcement and prevention

We see the recovery through to actual payment and put your contracts in order so that the next such dispute never starts.

Found your work in someone else's hands?

Send us the link and the source files — we will tell you whether there is an infringement and what can be claimed.

Describe your situation

Team

Team of lawyers in Almaty

We handle a case from start to finish with the same team: you always know who is dealing with your matter and who to contact.

Asel Kurmanova

Lawyer for civil cases

Handles disputes over real estate, inheritance, contracts and transactions. Supports transactions from document review through to registration of title.

14 years of practice
Civil and housing disputes
Kazakh and Russian languages

Dmitry Kim

Lawyer for financial and motor vehicle disputes

Works with banks, insurers and debt collectors, handles recovery and bankruptcy cases, and defends drivers in administrative matters.

11 years of practice
Banks, insurers, motor vehicle disputes
Pre-trial settlement

Gulnara Abisheva

Lawyer for family and social matters

Handles divorces, division of property, alimony and disputes over children, as well as employment, pension and social issues.

9 years of practice
Family and employment disputes
Work with guardianship authorities

Yerlan Sagintayev

Lawyer for corporate law

Supports company transactions, arranges shares and corporate agreements, handles disputes between participants and reorganisation.

13 years of practice
Transactions, shares, corporate disputes
Support for investment rounds

Aigerim Nurlanova

Tax lawyer

Challenges notifications and inspection reports, handles tax disputes in court, supports inspections and recovers overpayments.

10 years of practice
Inspections and tax disputes
Working with the client's accounting records

Viktor Li

Construction and contract lawyer

Reviews contract agreements, estimates and acts, handles disputes over quality and scope of works, supports acceptance of facilities.

12 years of practice
Contracting, shared participation, acceptance
Working with construction expertise

Madina Ospanova

Intellectual property and IT lawyer

Protects copyright and trademarks, drafts contracts for IT teams and handles rights to products and code.

8 years of practice
Copyright, trademarks
Contracts for IT and studios

Sanzhar Ibraev

Bankruptcy and debt recovery lawyer

Handles bankruptcy and rehabilitation procedures, recovers receivables, defends directors against subsidiary liability.

15 years of practice
Bankruptcy, rehabilitation, debt recovery
S

Practice

Recent case stories from our lawyers in Almaty

Details have been changed and anonymised: the content of the case is protected by professional privilege.

Photographs

A photographer's shots ended up in a retail chain's outdoor advertising with no contract at all

Situation: A photographer shot interiors for one client, and six months later saw his images on another company's billboards and on its website. There was no contract between them at all: the images passed along the chain through a contractor who was making design layouts for the chain. In response to the first letter, the company said it had bought the layouts from an agency and did not understand the claims.
What we did: We recorded the use by notarial certification — both the website and the photographs of the billboards with addresses. We pulled the RAW source files with shooting dates and camera metadata, the correspondence with the first client and the contract with him, under which rights were transferred for one project only. We sent a claim with a compensation calculation and pointed out that buying layouts from an agency does not remove liability for using someone else's work.
Outcome: The materials were taken down from the website within three days, and the outdoor advertising was dismantled during a scheduled replacement. The compensation was paid without going to court, and the company also signed a separate contract with the photographer for a new shoot.

Software code

A developer spent four years writing a product and was left without rights to it

Situation: The programmer worked with the company under service contracts and signed acceptance certificates every month. When the relationship soured, the client claimed that all rights to the code belonged to it, including the developer's own work, which he had used in the project before that engagement.
What we did: We went through the wording of all the contracts spanning four years: some contained a clause on assignment of rights, others covered only the provision of services with no mention of the result. We compared this against the commit history and dates to show which modules had been created before work with the client began and which were created within it.
Outcome: The parties settled by agreement: the client received a non-exclusive licence for the modules created outside the contracts and full rights to what had been expressly paid for. The developer kept his library and continued to use it in other projects.

Texts

A company's blog was copied word for word onto a competitor's website

Situation: The client discovered that 23 articles from his blog had been posted on a competing resource — unchanged, without any indication of the source and with the same heading structure. Some of the articles on the other site began ranking higher than the originals.
What we did: We preserved copies of the pages with dates and recorded the dates of first publication for the client using the website management system data and search engine caches. We sent a demand to the website owner and, at the same time, a notice to the hosting provider citing the infringement.
Outcome: The publications were taken down within a week: the hosting provider responded faster than the owner himself. There were no repeat infringements. We additionally set up a procedure for the client to record authorship of new materials, so that the next such dispute would take one day rather than a week.

Work made for hire

After leaving the company, a designer prohibited it from using the corporate identity he had created

Situation: An in-house designer developed a logo and corporate identity, and the company used them for three years on signage, packaging and in advertising. After a contentious dismissal, he sent a letter of claim demanding that use cease and compensation be paid, asserting that the rights to the works remained with him.
What we did: We reviewed the documents: the employment contract, job description, work assignments and acceptance certificates. Some had been properly executed, others were missing. For the properly documented works, we demonstrated the work-for-hire nature of their creation; for the undocumented ones, we proposed concluding an assignment agreement with reasonable payment, avoiding court proceedings.
Outcome: The dispute was settled by agreement: the company retained the corporate identity, and the designer received payment for two works for which documentation was missing. Work assignments and acceptance certificates were introduced for all employees in creative roles.

Photographs

A photographer's images were used in advertising without a contract or credit

Situation: A photographer discovered his images in an advertising campaign by a large retail chain: the images had been taken from his portfolio, cropped and placed on banners and in social media. The chain did not respond to direct messages, and after a phone call offered to "send an invoice for a couple of photos" for a token sum.
What we did: We recorded the fact of use: a notarial inspection of the pages and outdoor advertising with photographic evidence and dates, and preservation of the source files with metadata confirming authorship and the date of shooting. We sent a letter of claim with a calculation of compensation based on the number of objects and methods of use.
Outcome: We recovered compensation for five images and four methods of use — 4.4 million tenge. The chain concluded a licence agreement with the photographer for further use of some of the shots.

Software code

A contractor delivered a product to the client, but the rights to the code remained with him

Situation: A company commissioned the development of an internal system, paid for the work under the contract and used it for a year. When it tried to have the system modified by another contractor, the previous developer claimed that the rights to the code belonged to him and that the contract had granted only the right to use it in its original form.
What we did: We analysed the contract: it indeed lacked a provision on the assignment of exclusive rights, containing only a general wording on the provision of services. We conducted negotiations and prepared an assignment agreement with a fixed additional payment, at the same time formalising the transfer of the source code and documentation by acceptance certificate.
Outcome: The rights passed to the client, and modification began three weeks later. For future development contracts, we drafted a template for the client with a mandatory provision on the assignment of rights and transfer of source files.

Plagiarism in education

An online course was resold under someone else's name

Situation: The author of an educational course discovered that recordings of his lessons and workbooks were being sold on a third-party resource under a different title and a different author's name. The materials had been copied in full, including typos, which is what made it possible to prove the source.
What we did: We gathered evidence of authorship and dates of creation: deposit of the materials, correspondence with the video editor and the designer of the workbooks, contracts with them, and the publication history. We recorded the infringement by notarial inspection, sent a letter of claim to the infringer and a notice to the platform about the posting of content in breach of rights.
Outcome: The platform removed the materials within a week, and the infringer paid compensation of 1.8 million tenge under the agreement. The author began depositing each new course before its publication.

Defence against a claim

A company received a claim over an image purchased on a stock site

Situation: A small company used an illustration in advertising after buying it on a stock photo site. A year later, a claim for compensation arrived from the author: he asserted that the image had been placed on the stock site without his consent. The amount claimed was 3 million tenge.
What we did: We gathered evidence of good faith: the stock licence, payment documents, terms of use and correspondence with the platform. We showed that the company had acquired the image under a paid licence and could not have known about the dispute between the author and the stock platform, and that the claim should be brought against the platform.
Outcome: The claim against the company was dropped and the dispute shifted to the relationship between the author and the stock platform. We prepared a procedure for the client on working with images: keep licences and payment documents for every file.

Useful information

Copyright lawyer in Almaty: confirming authorship and protection

Asel Kurmanova Civil litigation lawyer

Published: 29 May 2026 Updated: 16 September 2026

An author, photographer, designer, musician or company in Almaty most often faces the same situation: the work has been published, used in advertising or sold, and no one asked for permission. The reverse scenario also happens — you receive a claim about the use of someone else's material, and you need to work out quickly what you actually infringed and what you did not.

A mistake in such cases is costly, because the legal fate of the work is decided in the first few days: what was signed, what was saved, who got access to the files and when. Many people delay securing evidence, delete correspondence, publish rebuttals — and weaken their position as a result. Let us go step by step through how copyright works, which documents carry weight and what to do when a dispute has already started.

Copyright lawyer: when authorship arises and what it gives you

Copyright in Kazakhstan arises from the moment the work is created, and registration is not required for this. The form of expression is protected — text, a photograph, a melody, a layout, code — while ideas, methods, concepts and facts remain free for everyone. That is why a dispute is usually not about whether you came up with something first, but about who embodied the idea in a specific object and when.

A copyright lawyer is a specialist who deals with such situations: proving that you created the work if it is used without permission; determining who owns the rights to a work made to order or in the course of employment; properly formalising the transfer of rights or a licence; responding to a claim from a rights holder. Reasons to consult a copyright lawyer also include a publication being blocked, a photo being used without crediting the author, and a demand for payment from someone who considers themselves the rights holder.

the work is used without the author's consent
the transfer of rights or a licence needs to be formalised
the customer or employer claims rights to the work
a claim has arrived from the rights holder

Copyright lawyer: how to confirm authorship of a work

To defend your rights, you need to gather evidence in advance. Drafts, source files with metadata (for example, RAW for photos or working design files), correspondence with the customer or co-authors, publications with a date — all of this confirms that you created the work. A copyright specialist will help organise such materials and assess their strength in court.

Another option is to enter information in the state register of rights to objects protected by copyright: applications are accepted by the National Institute of Intellectual Property. A certificate from the register serves as strong evidence, although authorship arises from the moment the work is created. A copyright lawyer will advise when registration is useful and when internal evidence is enough. If you are a photographer, designer, musician or company, prepare your confirmations in advance — before a dispute, not after.

Collect and keep:

Drafts, sketches, early versions of files with dates.
Source files with metadata showing the author and the time of creation.
Correspondence discussing the creation or transfer of the work.
Publications where your authorship is recorded with a date.
A certificate of entry of information in the state register.

Copyright lawyer: who owns the rights to a work made in the course of employment

If a work is created as part of employment duties, as a general rule the rights to it belong to the employer. This applies to texts, design, photographs, music and other content that the author produces on the company's instructions. However, a contract may establish a different arrangement: the rights remain with the employee-author or are shared between the parties.

In the employment contract or a separate agreement it is important to state directly who owns the exclusive rights and which methods of use are covered. If the wording is vague, the dispute is decided by a court, and an intellectual property lawyer assesses the actual circumstances: the job description, work assignments, correspondence. For a company it is risky to leave this matter unattended — a lawyer in the field of intellectual property will help draft the contract so that the rights pass to the employer.

Author-employee: to retain personal non-property rights and state them in the contract.
Company: to record the transfer of exclusive rights and the methods of use.
Both parties: to set out the procedure for paying remuneration, if it is provided for.
Intellectual property lawyer: to review the contract before signing in order to avoid a dispute.

Copyright lawyer: assignment of rights or a licence

Before signing the papers, it is important to understand what exactly you are transferring. A licence agreement grants the right to use the work within the agreed limits, while an assignment agreement transfers the exclusive rights in full. If the author wants to retain control, they need a licence agreement; if the client needs full control, assignment is more often used. An intellectual property lawyer helps choose the structure to fit the task, not a template.

The difference lies in the scope of rights, the ability to prohibit use by third parties, the term and the territory. On assignment, the author loses the exclusive right and can no longer permit or prohibit use themselves, although they remain the author and their personal non-property rights are retained. Under a licence, the exclusive right remains with the right holder, and the licensee receives only what is expressly stated in the contract. Below is a comparison by key parameters.

Licence: the right to use within the limits specified in the contract.
Assignment: the exclusive right passes to the acquirer in full.
Licence: the right holder may grant licences to others.
Assignment: the ability to dispose of the rights passes to the new owner.

How a licence agreement differs from an assignment agreement
Parameter	Licence agreement	Assignment agreement
What is transferred	The right to use	The exclusive rights in full
Who retains the right	The right holder	The acquirer
Scope	Only the specified methods	All methods of use
Term	For the term of the contract	Indefinite, unless otherwise stated

The choice between a licence and an assignment depends on whether the client needs full control or a permission to use is sufficient.

Copyright lawyer: how to transfer rights under a contract

A contract on the transfer of rights works only if it precisely describes the subject matter, the scope of rights, the term, the territory and the manner of use. The subject matter is a specific work: a photograph, a track, a layout, a text, and not a general phrase such as "materials". The scope of rights is listed by acts: reproduction, distribution, alteration, public display, making available to the public. If a type of use is not named, the right to it is deemed not to have been transferred.

Dangerous mistakes occur more often than it seems. The author signs a contract without a term or with the wording "forever", does not check who gets the rights to alter the work, and leaves the territory clause unattended. As a result, use goes beyond Kazakhstan or the work is changed without consent, and proving the violation is difficult. Having a contract reviewed by an intellectual property lawyer before signing is cheaper than a dispute afterwards.

No specific subject matter is stated — the contract is easy to challenge.
Not all methods of using the work are named.
The term and territory are described vaguely.
Alteration and further transfer of rights to third parties are forgotten.
There is no clause on the preservation of the author's personal non-property rights.

Copyright lawyer: what to do in a dispute over authorship

In a dispute over authorship you are not proving the fact of someone else's use — you are confirming that you created the work. These are different subject matters: in the first case authorship is challenged, in the second your authorship is acknowledged but the lawfulness of copying or alteration is disputed. Hence the different tactics: in the first proceedings the focus is on evidence of creation and dates, in the second on the similarity of elements and the absence of permission.

First, gather everything that confirms the journey of the work: drafts, source files in a graphic editor, RAW files, project files, correspondence with the client, dates in the metadata. Fix the date — entering information into the state register of rights to copyright objects, a notarial inspection or a publication with a time stamp. Then a copyright protection lawyer builds the position: which fact you are proving, which evidence is relevant and what the opposing party is disputing. In disputes over use, the recording of the infringement itself is added to this.

Determine the subject matter of the dispute: authorship or the lawfulness of use
Gather source files, drafts and metadata with dates
Fix the date of creation by an available method
Formulate exactly which rights have been infringed

Copyright lawyer: confirmation and evidence in disputes

In a dispute over authorship, the one who took care of the evidence first wins. A copyright lawyer advises fixing the work in advance, for example by a notarial inspection. A consultation with an intellectual property lawyer will suggest a suitable method of fixing.

Courts in Kazakhstan examine digital traces: metadata, dated publications, correspondence, drafts and source files. A mistake is to delete or rewrite them after a dispute begins: they cease to confirm the date and authorship. The outcome of legal protection of intellectual property depends on this.

notarial inspection of a page or publication
preservation of the source files with metadata and the date of creation
screenshots with a visible address, date and time
correspondence discussing the creation and use of the work

Methods of recording evidence: what they prove and when they are used
Method	What it proves	When it is suitable
Notarial inspection	The content of a website or publication on a specific date	Infringement online, risk of the page being deleted
File metadata	The date of creation and the author's device	There is a source file, draft or working file
Dated publication	First public disclosure	The material is posted on your own platform
Correspondence	Discussion of creation and use	There is contact with the infringer or the client

The methods are combined: one confirms the date, another confirms authorship.

Copyright lawyer: a letter of claim instead of court

A dispute almost always reaches court only as a last resort. The right holder sends a letter of claim: it describes which work was used, by whom and how, and demands that the use be stopped. At the same time, you can claim damages or compensation — these are recovered through court if the infringement has not stopped. In our experience, 70% of copyright disputes are resolved by a letter of claim: the counterparty prefers to remove the content, pay extra under the licence or enter into an agreement rather than go to court.

Mistakes at this stage are the most costly. A letter of claim without proof of authorship and evidence of the infringement is easily ignored; a letter without a demand and a deadline does not interrupt the infringement; deleting your own publications before a notarial inspection deprives you of evidence. If the work is used by several persons, a letter of claim is sent to each of them — otherwise the dispute will drag on. A copyright lawyer helps gather evidence, formulate the demands and conduct correspondence so that it works in favour of the subsequent court case.

A letter of claim with confirmation of authorship and evidence of the infringement
A demand to stop the use and remove the content
Calculation of damages or justification of compensation
Pre-trial correspondence and negotiations on terms
A claim if the infringement continues after the letter of demand

Copyright lawyer: when you need a copyright lawyer

When negotiations and the pre-trial letter of demand produce no result, the dispute goes to court. This is where a copyright lawyer is needed: they prepare the claim, gather evidence of authorship and infringement, and represent interests in court. Most often the claims are to prohibit use of the work, seize and destroy counterfeit copies, publish the court decision, and recover damages or compensation. Usually the right holder first sends a letter of demand requiring use to stop, and only then applies to court for recovery: by law, the pre-trial procedure in such disputes is not mandatory, but the letter of demand records the infringement and the date of the demand.

A copyright lawyer handles the case from start to enforcement: determines jurisdiction, applies for interim measures, works with expert examination and proves the amount of losses. A copyright defence lawyer is also needed by the defendant — to challenge the demand, reduce compensation, and prove lawful use. A consultation only explains the prospects and risks, whereas court representation means procedural documents, participation in hearings and interaction with the court enforcement officer. An intellectual property defence lawyer covers related matters: trade marks, patents, trade secrets.

A statement of claim and calculation of damages or compensation.
Applications for interim measures and expert examination.
Participation in hearings and objections to the opponent's arguments.
Monitoring enforcement of the decision through the court enforcement officer.

Copyright lawyer and intellectual property lawyer

When a dispute reaches formal procedures, an intellectual property lawyer joins the case: they represent interests in court, prepare procedural documents and build a position on each piece of evidence. At this stage, the copyright defence lawyer focuses on the claim for compensation or damages, proves the amount of losses and substantiates the calculation. Our practice includes 14 years of work on civil cases and more than 120 rights protection cases.

If the court grants the claims, work with a private or state court enforcement officer follows: tracing the debtor's property and accounts, requests to banks, travel restrictions and other enforcement measures. A copyright lawyer monitors this at every step, because without persistent follow-up the decision often remains on paper.

Representation of interests at court hearings
Preparation of the claim, response and applications
Recovery of compensation and damages
Support with the court enforcement officer

Copyright lawyer if you have received a letter of demand from the right holder

A letter of demand from the right holder is not a verdict but an invitation to talk in the language of documents. First check what is being claimed against you: is authorship confirmed, is the object protected at all, does your use match what is described in the demand. Often the demand is built on emotion rather than evidence, and a copyright lawyer sees this on the first reading.

Then you decide: stop the use, adjust the disputed fragment, or negotiate terms. The response to the demand is prepared by a lawyer — relying on your documents, dates, correspondence and contracts. Intellectual property lawyers in such cases first assess the object and the scope of rights, rather than rushing to pay.

Paying on the first demand without checking the evidence
Ignoring the letter and missing the response deadline
Deleting materials and correspondence before your position is recorded
Responding on your own and admitting facts that will later be used against you

Patent lawyer: the link between copyright and patent law

A patent lawyer handles cases where protection concerns the technical essence: inventions, utility models and industrial designs. They prepare and file applications, correspond with the examination, secure the grant of the title document and monitor its maintenance in force. If someone has reproduced your solution without permission, the matter is handled by a patent disputes lawyer: they build arguments on the coincidence of essential features and secure cessation of the use.

This area overlaps with copyright at the boundary. A work is protected from the moment of creation, whereas a technical solution is protected only after registration, and a patent lawyer checks what is actually protectable in your case. Confusion is costly: a dispute over a design, layout or description may turn out to be a patent matter rather than a copyright one.

A patent lawyer checks patentability before filing an application
A patent lawyer handles correspondence during examination and grant of the title document
A patent disputes lawyer deals with challenges and infringement of an exclusive right

The key in a copyright dispute is not emotions or the number of publications online, but the chain of evidence: from whom and when you received the material, to whom and on what terms you transferred the rights. This chain needs to be assembled before the conflict becomes public.

Reviews

Reviews of a copyright lawyer's work

4.9

Google

4.9 · 128

Yandex

4.8 · 94

2GIS

4.9 · 156

Zoon

4.7 · 41

Dana A. 15 August 2026

A large company took my photos for advertising and didn't even ask me. There was no contract at all, none. At first I was confused, didn't understand where to start. Then I found a lawyer and we recorded everything notarially. Then we sent a claim. I waited and worried, but it all went calmly. They paid without court. I was so happy I didn't even believe it at first. Thank you very much for the work