Copyright protection automatically occurs as soon as your work is created. Unlike a patent or a trademark, you do not have to apply or pay a fee and there isn’t a register of copyright works in the UK.

You can mark your work with the copyright symbol ©, your name and the year of creation. Whether you mark the work or not doesn’t affect the level of protection you have in the UK.

Once your copyright has expired, anyone can use or copy your work.  The length of copyright depends on the type of work. For example, if you write a musical composition your work will be protected for 70 year’s after your death. For more information on how long copyright usually lasts, click here.

The information contained on this website is for general guidance only and should not be relied upon as legal advice.