Introduction
Copyright protects original:
- literary and written work, like published articles
- dramatic, musical and artistic works and their performances
- television, film, sound and music recordings
- non-literary written work like computer software, online content and databases
- illustrations and photography.
You can mark your work with the copyright symbol (©), your name and the year the work was created although this will not affect your level of protection. UK copyright is automatically valid in countries who have signed the Berne Convention for the Protection of Artistic and Literary Works.
There is no official registration system for copyright. It's an automatic right that arises whenever an individual or organisation creates a work. In order to qualify the work should be original and demonstrate a degree of labour, skill or judgement.