Copyright is created automatically as soon as a work is created in any material form, such as writing, a sound recording, or in electronic form. There is no official registration process or associated fees. It covers a broad range of materials including original literary & artistic works, music, films, sound recordings, broadcasts and software. The duration of copyright lasts between 50 and 70 years, depending on the nature of the work, from the death of the creator.

The purpose of copyright is to allow the author to gain financial rewards for their creative efforts and/or labour, helping to encourage future creativity and the development of new material. Without any form of protection, it would often be very easy for others to exploit material without paying the creator. Most uses of copyright material therefore require permission from the owner, although there are exceptions and some minor uses may not infringe copyright.

It is a good idea for you to mark your copyright work with the international copyright symbol ©, followed by your Trusts name and the date, to warn others against copying it but it is not legally necessary in the UK.

Moral Rights

Copyright also gives rise to moral rights, which are the rights of the author to be identified as the creator of the work and to object to the distortion or derogatory treatment of the work by others.

For more information please download our copyright factsheet [pdf]