Copyright protection exists to prevent people copying original works without the consent of the author. This includes videos, photos, music and documents. These pages aim to give you an overview about copyright, however the key message is 'If you are not sure, do not use it!'
You need to remember that just because you can download something, it does not mean that you should!
You can download a copy of this guidance in PDF format at the foot of this page.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is part of the family of intellectual property rights (IPR). Copyright aims to protect original work from being copied without permission of its maker. Unlike other IPRs, which must be registered or declared by the creator, copyright exists as soon as the work has been created. Copyright does not protect ideas or facts. It protects the way the facts or ideas have been recorded.
Generally, the creator/author or the company they work for owns copyright. Only they can give permission for others to use it.
Current UK copyright legislation is based on the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, but is also supplemented by various European Commission Directives.
Copyright also applies to databases - it is called Database Right. Like Copyright it is an automatic right. Database Right only lasts for 15 years, but may be extended if the databases changes significantly and it covers the extraction and reutilisation of the contents of a database. Examples of databases include encyclopaedias, dictionaries, online collections as well as webpages and other collections of data on the Internet.
The Law
The infringement of copyright is a criminal offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and could result in prosecution. In addition, copyright owners have the right to seek damages from a breach or to obtain an injunction to prevent one.