Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Databases definition

What does Databases mean? In legal practice, databases are structured collections of independent works, data or other materials used, maintained and licensed in technology, outsourcing and data‑rich commercial transactions, and frequently litigated in scraping, extraction and reuse disputes. The term is defined in legislation: in the UK by the copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, and in Ireland by measures implementing the EU Database Directive (96/9/EC). A database covers electronic and non‑electronic collections arranged systematically or methodically, with items individually accessible. Two forms of protection may apply, concurrently: - Copyright, protecting the original selection or arrangement where it reflects the author’s own intellectual creation. -...

UK database protection: copyright and sui generis right: definition, originality, investment, infringement, qualification post‑Brexit, term, assimilated EU law, and pre‑1998 databases

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Practice notes

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Databases

For many years, databases—particularly electronic ones—have been a significant component of digital economies across the globe. Numerous jurisdictions view investing in and leveraging databases as essential to fostering an information market.

In the UK, the principal legislation concerning IP protection for databases comprises:

the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988)
the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997 (CRD 1997), SI 1997/3032, which gave effect to Directive 96/9/EC on the legal protection of databases (EU Database Directive) in the UK (now assimilated law, see: Databases and assimilated EU law, below)

A database can receive protection in a range of ways:

copyright can shield literary and Artistic works, including tables and compilations forming part of a database, provided they are original works...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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