the copyright law

copyright law:

1. research and note down the definition of the copyright law.
2. research the law on copyright and find major examples of copyright being broken.

definition of the copyright law...

• definition of a copyright. a copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the authors of "original works of authorship." ... a copyright holder can prevent others from copying, performing or otherwise using the work without his or her consent.
• copyright is a legal right that protects the use of your work once your idea has been physically expressed.
• the current copyright legislation in the uk is the copyright, designs and patents act 1988.
• the copyright law lays out a framework of rules around how that work can be used.
• sets out the rights of the owner, as well as responsibilities of other people who want to use the work.
• you can do many things with your copyright work including the following:

1. copy
2. change
3. sell
4. share
5. rent
6. prevent people from using it

• the uk has one of the strongest creative sectors in the world.

when is my work protected by copyright?

1. original - 

• for a work to be original it must be the product of your own skill and labour or intellectual creation and should not replicate the work of someone else (such as imitating a drawing or painting). this is to prevent simple things like writing a poem consisting of a single word being automatically protected by copyright. otherwise, being creative in daily life would be impossible without stumbling into someone else's copyright.

1. tangible - 

• this means that it can't just be an idea you've had. instead you need to have expressed that idea in a physical form. when you make up a tune in your head, it is only protected by copyright from the moment you write down the musical score or record a performance of it.

how to copyright your work...

• copyright protection arises automatically as soon as you create a piece of work. unlike a trademark, you don't need to register your wok for it to be protected by copyright. 

how long is your work protected for with copyright?

• the length of your copyright work is protected for depends on a number of factors such as the type of work you have created and when it was made. for example, when you write a poem your work will be protected until 70 years after your death. but if you act in a play, any rights in your performance are protected for 50 years. 

is my work protected outside the uk?

• each country has its own copyright law and copyright practice can vary, but most countries will protect works created in other countries in the same way that they protect their own citizens' creations.

the basic principles of copyright law in the United Kingdom state that...

proprietors have the right to protect and preserve their intellectual property and control how it is used and distributed. in many cases, the proprietor bears the right to be identified as the author of the work. for example, a screenwriter will have his or hers name displayed in the credits at the start of the film despite more than likely having no input on the actual filming aspect of production. 

in general terms, intellectual property is any product made by humans that the law protects from unauthorised use by others. it is traditionally comprised of four categories: patient, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets.

intellectual property is something that you create using your mind -  for example: a story, artistic work, or a symbol. it can have more than one owner at a time, it doesn't always have to be just be person. it can owned by a group of people or even an entire business. intellectual property can also be sold or transferred. 

if you're self-employed, you usually own the intellectual property even if your work was commissioned by someone else - unless your contract with them gives them the rights. you usually will not own the intellectual property for something you created as part of your work while you were employed by someone else.