Copyright
Copyright, like Design Right, comes into existence when an original work is created without any need for, or indeed possibility of, registration. It protects, amongst other things, original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works against copying for a period of normally 70 years following the death of the author. All of these things, it will be remembered, are excluded from patent protection.
Copyright impinges to some extent on technical matters in that reports, technical manuals, parts lists, and even tables of figures may be entitled to copyright protection as 'literary works'. Computer programs are also protected as 'literary works', both in source code and object code formats. Diagrams, charts, sketches, manufacturing drawings, and the like are protected as 'artistic works' irrespective of whether they have any artistic merit.
For further information on copyright, please contact a member of our Design and Copyright Team.
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