Copyright Templates

With our range of copyright templates you can manage your own copyright requirements.

Copyright

	Copyright Assignment Our Assignment of Copyright contract template for use when assigning copyright in any material.	£14.95 Read more »
	Copyright Licence Our Copyright Licence template for use when you want to license copyrighted material to another person or company.	£29.95 Read more »

Many businesses and individuals create documents, pictures and works which are unique and personal to them. The law of copyright exists to allow such people to protect their creations so that they can use and market them without them being copied by others. Our range of copyright templates enable you to protect and manage your creations without fear of infringement.
Copyright law

Many people confuse copyright with trademarks however, the two are definitely not the same thing. Copyright can protect creations such as music, lyrics, photographs, theatrical works, artistic works, films, books, book layouts, sound recordings, media broadcasts, individual songs and the sound recordings, lyrics and album artwork, websites, the internet, software, databases and performances of dance, mime or the spoken word. Ideas alone cannot copyrighted, but once they have been fixed in a medium then copyright may arise over them. Copyright arises automatically upon creation of such works so you don’t have to apply for it as you would a trademark. A trademark protects a business name or logo which is often too short or lacking in originality to qualify for copyright protection, although the two types of protection can exist simultaneously.

Who owns the copyright? Usually the person who created the original work would be the first owner. However, if you are an employee of a company and created something during the course of your employment for the company, you may not be the owner of the copyright. The Government changed the law in 1989 enabling copyright in some commissioned works to be owned by the creator. Authors who collaborate together in relation to a work may have joint copyright over the work.

Most copyrighted work will stay in the owner or creator’s possession until they die, although this may depend on which category or type of work it is. There are different time limits for sound recordings, broadcasts and published editions of works.

Permission is required from a copyright owner to use their work. This also applies to uses of the work in other forms or genres. Copyright also provides certain economic rights and benefits. It is up to the copyright owner to protect and keep these benefits. When copyright in a work has been infringed, the owner must take action to enforce the copyright. The first step could be to try to resolve the issue with the other party; if this doesn’t work it may be necessary to go to court. You may want to obtain the advice of a Solictor before taking any action.

Our Documents, Guides and Articles sections provide further information in relation to copyright so that you can have peace of mind in knowing how to protect your creations.