Copyright principles and law are exactly the same on the Internet as they are "off-line".

Read our article 'An Overview of Copyright Protection' for more information (link at bottom of page)

However, because material published on the Internet can be accessed by millions of people world-wide, it is much more common for copyright infringements to occur on the Internet then any other medium.

A Tip to Reduce (not eliminate) Online Copyright Violation

By using specific java script (inserted into the HTML), you can disable the 'right click' function on your page(s) therefore preventing users from accessing the 'copy' option from the menu.

Visit: scriptsearch for the free java script coding.

Reproducing Material from Another Web Site

If you wish to reproduce material from another web site, read their copyright notice (link usually found on their home page) as this will often detail their policy on reproducing their material.


If they do not have a copyright notice you should ask permission before reproducing any material.

Reproducing Other People's Logos

In general, it is illegal to reproduce other people's logos - but is it illegal when you reproduce them to benefit the consumer (and not yourself)? For example, you may want to reproduce somebody's logo with the intention to link to their web site - the familiarity of the logo to consumers will be beneficial.

Again - yes it is illegal. However, companies may be more relaxed to giving you permission to use their logo if it is beneficial to them such as for linking purposes.

Even government web sites do not appreciate the reproduction of their logos (regardless of Crown Copyright) without prior permission - some will not even give you the permission at any expense. This may come as a shock to most people as Government web sites are the result of tax payers.

For example, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) state "As a government department we do not allow the use of our logo (for reproduction)…" They believe that the use of the logo will give consumers the false idea that the OFT have examined and approved aspects of the business, as opposed to showing that a business is licensed under the Consumer Credit Act (for their protection). However…

Relevant Article

An Overview of Copyright Protection: