We often receive enquiries about how to apply for copyright protection, and many people are surprised to learn that in fact they do not need to apply at all. Copyright subsists automatically in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, films, sound recordings, and the typographical arrangement of published editions. Literary works are taken to include computer programs, databases, and other compilations.

Although there is no formal registration process in the UK, there are some steps which may be taken to ensure that you are able to protect your work against copyists, and increase the likelihood of successful action against an infringer. Firstly, it is useful to assert that the work is copyright, stating the owner of the copyright and the date.

© Your Company Name 2012

By making the above statement, it will be practically impossible for anyone copying this article to argue that they were not aware that copyright existed in the work, making the defence of “innocent infringement” unavailable. Note that it is important to include the date. Since copyright only subsists for a limited time, it might be possible that a person would reasonably believe that the copyright in an undated work had expired.

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