Data Protection & Copyright – Copyright

Copyright is an automatic protection over creative work you publish.
You do not need to register copyright for it to apply to your creative work.
Copyright gives you the rights to control the reproduction of your creative work.
You can display © on copyrighted work.
The recommended way to display copyright on your work is the © symbol followed by the name of the owner of copyright and the date of publication.

How long copyright lasts

A copyright lasts for the duration of the author’s life.
For sound recordings and broadcasts, copyright also lasts for an additional 50 years after the death of the author.
For all o ther forms of copyright, the copyright also lasts for an additional 70 years after the death of the author.

Words, names, logos or designs – or a combination of these – which are distinctive for the goods and services you provide. (These are covered by trademarks.)
Artwork of a logo is copyrighted protected, but it does not give the full protection a trademark would give.
Ideas or inventions. (These are covered by patents.)

You must not copy or use a work protected by copyright without permission.
You must not reproduce copyright protected work in another medium without permission. This includes publishing photos on the internet or making a sound recording or a book.
A request to copy or use copyrighted work can be rejected.
Permission to use copyrighted work could carry a fee (a royalty).

If you create a piece of work for your own use, you would be the copyright owner.
If an employee creates a piece of work for your business, the copyright belongs to the business, not the employee.
If another company (such as a design agency) creates a piece of work for your business (such as a business logo), the copyright remains with the other company. It is common practise for the other company to hand over the ownership of the copyright with the completed work.
If you sell or give away a copyright, you no longer own it and you no longer have the right to use it without the permission of the new owner.

Officially date your work by depositing a copy of it at a bank, or have a copy signed and dated by a solicitor.
This does not prove that a work is original or created by you. But it may be useful to be able to show the court that the work was in your possession at a particular date.