Everything You Need to Know About Copyright Laws in the UK

Copyright is a form of IP law, which allows businesses to protect their intellectual property and prevent it from being imitated, reproduced or adapted by another business or an individual.

What types of intellectual properties are protected under copyright laws?

Any literary or art work that has been produced by a business or individual is protected under copyright laws. This include:

• Literary, dramatic, artistic and musical work
• Non-literary work such as web content, software and databases
• Sound and audio recordings
• Broadcasts
• Television and film recordings

As for how you can get your work copyright in the UK, you don’t have to – any produced work is automatically protected under copyright laws. You don’t have to apply for copyrights; you don’t have to approach any organisation to get your work copyright protected.

It is copyright protected the moment it is created.

However, as a precautionary measure (not everyone knows and understands copyright laws and may try to duplicate your work unintentionally), you can mark your work with a copyright label or notice.

What if someone still tries to use your copyright protected work without your permission?

In that case, you have two options.

But before we start discussing them, it’s important to point out that some organisations can use copyright work without the permission of its creator. These include libraries and schools.

Now coming on to how you can stop another individual or company from imitating, reproducing or creating an adaptation of your copyright protected work, you can either:

• File a lawsuitagainst them;
• or, you can apply to block their license application. For any organisation to use a work that’s covered under copyright protection, they must first apply for a license. This linkallows you to check if someone has licensed your work or is in the process to do so, and you can get their application blocked.

Can copyright expire?

Yes, it can. And once copyright has expired, anyone can use your work.

The expiry date for a copyright is governed by what type of work it is and how long ago the work was created. For a tailored guidance, you can contact the IPO Information Centre by dropping them an email at information@ipo.gov.uk or calling 0300 300 2000.

And that’s all to it.

Do you have any other questions about copyright laws, their implementation or infringement?

Feel free to reach out, our litigation solicitors will be happy to serve you. We have a deep understanding of UK copyright, patent, and trademark laws and can guide you on everything related to intellectual property protection.