Copyright Protection

Intellectual Property can be split into several headings, namely Patents, Trademarks, Designs and Copyrights. Copyright is the only one of these that does not have to be registered, except in the United States. In most of the rest of the world including countries that are signatories of the Berne Convention copyright protection covers your work by placing a © along with your name and the date at the foot of the work. Copyright protection means that no one else may copy or use the protected work without your express permission. Copyright protection is extremely important for people who express their ideas on paper (or the like) for a living. For example, authors, poets, artists and webmasters.

Copyright is similar to any other form of property. That is to say it may be disposed of in the same way as other property. For example, an author may sell or otherwise transfer the rights to publish a novel that he has written to a particular publishing company in return for a straight payment or royalties. He may not necessarily transfer all the rights though – he may reserve the rights to make a film out of the novel for himself until such a time as he wishes to dispose of those rights to a third party. To avoid ambiguity in the courts of law, it is always better to transfer the copyright itself in writing. In the same way, although in most countries it is not necessary to register a copyright, it is always a good idea to seal the original manuscript along with signed witnessed document in an envelope and to post it to oneself, leaving it sealed. This way you have witnessed proof that yourself put the item in writing on a given day. If you need any advice in this matter you should contact an Intellectual Property Attorney.

The holder of a copyright for a particular work enjoys several exclusive rights. He has the right to produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies (including electronic copies). He may import and export the work or copies thereof. He may adapt or change the original work in any way he sees fit. He may perform or display the work in public. He may dispose of these rights to others by selling them, leasing them or disposing of them in any other manner he sees fit. The phrase "exclusive right" means that only the copyright holder is free to exercise these rights, and that others are prohibited using the work without the consent of the copyright holder. Copyright is often called a "negative right" in that it serves to prohibit people (e.g. readers, viewers, or listeners, and primarily publishers and would be publishers) from doing something, rather than permitting people to do something.

Copyright protection for written works remains the property of the owner for 50 years after his or her death, and for computer programs for 50 years after they were first made known to the public.