Copyright

literary works
dramatic works
musical works
artistic works

as well as films, sound recordings, broadcasts, layouts, typographical arrangements and software.

Copyright gives the creator, or his employer, of an original work the exclusive rights to economic benefit of that work, usually for a limited time; in other words, to receive compensation for the work if it is used by others.

Reproduction – i.e. copying
Distribution - such as a book being sold in a bookshop.
Rental and lending – renting a picture for your wall
Public performance – such as performing a play
Communication to the public – such as putting a work on the internet
Adaptation – such as making a film of a book, or converting code to a different computer language

It also provides protection for moral rights for literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works and film, as well as some performances relating to:

The right to attribution
The right to object to derogatory treatment of a work
The right to object to false attribution
The right to privacy of certain photographs and films

Copyright does not protect inventions or ideas. Whilst the duration of copyright can vary country to country, in some it can last for the lifetime of the author, plus seventy years.

It is important to keep records of

the date of creation,
who created it, and,
the terms under which the copyright is created e.g. under an employment contract, or under a commission, and the terms of that commission.

There are some organisations such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and, in the UK, the commercial organisation Anti Copying in Design (ACID) that allow you to date-stamp or store your original work to provide evidence of original dates. Notably, these do not help prove who created it, simply that it was in the possession of the submitter on such and such a date.

Please contact us for a free initial consultation.

IP Essentials