Imagine you have worked really hard and put your time and effort in to creating a painting, or a piece of music, or an invention, and someone decides to use or distribute your work without your permission, now that’s not right.

 

Copyright is a legal right by law that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time. It is the right to stop others copying or reproducing someone’s work.

 

The way in which a copyright is obtained is frequently misunderstood. A copyright arises automatically when an original piece of work is created which usually required some skill or judgement. In the UK there is no need to register a copyright, however, there is definite advantages to registration, including the ability to sue for infringement. 

 

Typically, the duration of a copyright is the creator’s life and then varying according to the work

usually 50 to 100 years after the author dies.

 

A copyright does not cover ideas and information, only the form or manner in which they are expressed. For example, a copyright to a Mickey Mouse cartoon restricts others from making copies of the cartoon or creating work based on Disney’s anthropomorphic mouse, but does not prohibit the creation of other works about anthropomorphic mice in general. In simpler terms, it is the expression of the idea that is protected and not the idea itself. People are allowed to borrow an idea and create something similar but they cannot copy it. 

 

Copyright may apply to a wide range of creative, intellectual or artistic forms of work. These can include, poems, plays, other literary work, motion pictures, choreography, musical compositions, sound recordings, paintings, drawings, for example.

 

If you are a creator of an original work it is up to you to make sure your work is not subject to a copyright infringement and if you want to create something from an idea it is your duty to make sure they are different enough to not be judged a copy. 

 

For more information on copyright you can visit the Intellectual Property section of the government website on https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office 







This blog is intended for information purposes only and is only advice from past experience, you may have other suggestions of your own.  It is not intended to be used to make all of your business decisions but as a guide only.

 

 

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