Copyright protects original work as soon as it is created and recorded, for example in writing, as a file or as a recording. You do not have to apply or pay, and there is no register of copyright works in the UK. Copyright stops other people copying your work, distributing or renting copies, performing or showing it in public, adapting it or putting it online without your permission.
What copyright covers
Copyright protects:
- original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic work, including illustrations and photographs
- original non-literary written work, such as software, website content and databases
- sound and music recordings, films and broadcasts
- the layout of published editions of written, dramatic and musical works
Copyright protects the way an idea is expressed, not the idea itself. It does not protect a business name or logo as a brand (use a trade mark), how a product works (use a patent) or, on its own, the shape of a product (use design rights).
How long copyright lasts depends on the type of work.
Make sure your business owns the copyright
This matters most for logos, websites, software, photography and marketing content made by freelancers and agencies.
Evidence and mark your work
Because there is no register, you may need to prove that a work is yours and when you created it if someone copies it.
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Keep dated records
Keep drafts, original files with their metadata, version control history for software, and dated emails or invoices showing when work was created and by whom.
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Mark your work
You can add the copyright symbol (©), your name or your business's name and the year of creation. Marking does not change the protection you have, but it tells people the work is owned and who to ask for permission.
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Put agreements in writing
Use contracts that assign copyright to your business when you commission work, and check your employment contracts cover work staff create.
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Assert your right to be named
If you want to be identified as the author of your work, assert that moral right in writing, for example in the licence or assignment. If you commission work, agree in the contract whether the author will waive their moral rights.
License or sell your copyright
You can let others use your work under a licence while keeping ownership, or sell the copyright outright. You can also join a collecting society, which licenses your work to users and collects royalties for you.
If someone copies your work
First check whether their use is allowed without permission. Some uses are permitted, for example limited copying for criticism, review, quotation, news reporting, parody, private study or non-commercial research.
If it is not permitted, you are responsible for enforcing your copyright. Ask the other party to stop, try to agree a licence, or use mediation. Claims for copyright infringement can only be brought in the courts, and lower-value claims in England and Wales can use the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court's small claims track without a lawyer. Copying on a commercial scale, such as selling pirated copies, can also be a criminal offence that Trading Standards investigates.
Copyright protection in other countries comes through international agreements such as the Berne Convention, but how long it lasts and what it covers can differ.
Legal basis
Primary legislation and key regulations
Official guidance
Exceptions to copyright (opens in a new tab)
When people can use copyright work without permission
gov.uk
Licensing bodies and collective management organisations (opens in a new tab)
Collecting societies that license work and collect royalties
gov.uk
Defend your intellectual property (opens in a new tab)
Mediation, legal action and reporting IP crime
gov.uk