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| “Copyright is the framework which underlines our creative activity. It’s copyright that rewards the creators and artists and sustains the distribution that gets the creative works to those who want to enjoy them.” |
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| David Lammy, Government Minister, in his speech introducing the debate on the futureshape of the UK’s copyright framework, London, 16 December 2008. |
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| What is copyright? |
| Copyright is an intellectual property right that arises automatically when an individual or a company creates an original work. |
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| What kinds of work can attract copyright? |
| Literary works, including novels, lyrics of songs, newspaper articles, technical manuals and some types of database |
| Dramatic works, including plays |
| Musical works |
| Artistic works, including paintings, engravings, photographs, sculptures, collages, maps and logos |
| Sound recordings |
| Films, broadcasts and TV and cable programmes |
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| Exclusive rights |
| Copyright gives its owner the exclusive right to control the ways in which their copyright material may be used. |
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| How long does copyright last? |
| The term of copyright protection varies for each type of work. In the case of literary works (for example), copyright lasts for up to 70 years from the death of the author. |
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| Who does copyright belong to? |
| Generally copyright belongs to the author or creator of the work. However, if a copyright work has been created during the course of employment or has been commissioned to a third party the author may not be the owner of the copyright. In such a case, the owner would usually be the employer or the person commissioning the work. |
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| Infringement of copyright |
| In order to bring a legal claim against a person who has infringed the rights of a copyright owner, the owner must prove that a substantial part of the work has been copied. |
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| Exceptions |
| Certain ‘permitted acts’ are excluded from copyright infringement. They include use of a copyright work for the purpose of research or private study, or for criticism or review. |
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