What is copyright?
Copyright protects original works and gives creators the economic right to control the way their material is used. It also gives moral rights to be identified as the creators of certain kinds of material.
What is protected by copyright?
Original works such as literary, film, art etc.
What is the difference between an idea and copyright?
A work can be copyright but the idea behind it cannot. For example, someone writing a John Grisham style legal thriller. The book (the work) resulting from the John Grisham idea is protected but the John Grisham style (the idea) is not.
How do I get copyright protection?
There isn’t an official way of registering copyright in the UK. Copyright protection is automatically granted as soon as the material is recorded in writing or any other way. There are two ways of doing this:
Post your work to yourself and when it arrives, leave it unopened.
Certify your work with the international copyright symbol; (c) followed by your name and the year of publication. For example, c Abidemi Sanusi 2022.
What is the difference between moral rights and copyright?
In a nutshell, moral rights protect the reputation of authors. It is not uncommon for books to have the following declaration: Abidemi Sanusi has asserted the moral right to be identified as the author of this book.
Copyright protects the economic rights of the author of a work.
What about the Internet?
In the UK, copyright material sent over the Internet will generally be protected in the same way as material in other media. However, you can still protect your economic interests by taking the steps mentioned above (see how do I get copyright permission?).
You should also state the extent to which you’re content for people to use your copyright material without your permission.
What’s the difference between a trademark and a copyright?
A trademark distinguishes the goods/services of one trader from another. To be registrable in the UK, it must also be capable of being represented graphically. That is, in words and/or pictures. However, logos may be protected under copyright as artistic works hence many trademarks may also be copyright works.
For trademark registration and protecting your intellectual property, we highly recommend the Trademark Tribe.
I am a writer. How much should I charge for people to copyright my stuff?
It is entirely up to you. You may also find the following websites useful:
- www.patents.gov.uk
- www.acls.org.uk
- www.intellectual-property.gov.uk