Copyright

Copyright protection is automatic – you don’t have to apply or pay a fee to secure it. Specifically, it protects any creation, including the following:

• Literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works as well as films and broadcasts. 
• Tables, compilations and computer programs (including their preparatory design materials).
• Graphic works, photographs, sculptures and collages are included in artistic works, irrespective of artistic quality, as are works of architecture. 
• Databases benefit from protection where there has been substantial investment in their compilation, but care should be taken to document that investment. 

If you wish to assert your copyright over your creations, you should include the copyright © symbol on your work. You should also ensure that you keep good, dated records of your creative process in case you are required to prove that your work is your own in any future proceedings.

What qualifies as copyright infringement?

Someone can infringe your automatic rights by doing one of the following without your permission:

• Copying your work.
• Distributing copies of it, whether free of charge or for sale.
• Renting or lending copies of your work.
• Performing, showing or playing your work in public.
• Making an adaptation of your work.
• Putting it on the internet.

Why choose us as your copyright advisors?

If you have been accused of copyright infringement, or if you suspect someone has infringed your copyright, it is vital that the issue is resolved quickly. Our team of copyright experts will help by identifying the legal issues and advising you on the best action to take. They can then conduct the case for you or negotiate with the other side on your behalf.

Our copyright team can also help you to license and assign your rights to commercially exploit them. This process may take place in conjunction with selling or transferring a trade mark or other intellectual property. 

We advise on all aspects of copyright law and management, including the identification of copyright works, term of protection, the drafting and use of copyright notices and the transfer and licensing of copyright works, including agreements.