Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

What does Copyright mean? In legal practice, copyright protects how original creative works are used, licensed and monetised. It is a statutory intellectual property right that arises automatically on creation (no registration) and gives the owner exclusive rights to copy, issue copies to the public, perform, show or play, communicate to the public and adapt the work. Across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, copyright is defined and governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. In Ireland, it is governed by the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000. Protected subject matter includes literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, films, sound recordings,...

UK Copyright for Trainee Solicitors and New Practitioners: Overview, Q&As, Training, Alerts and Key Resources

Published by a LexisNexis IP expert

Practice notes

This new starter guide introduces Copyright Law and signposts further Lexis+® UK materials offering fuller coverage. It is for trainee solicitors and anyone new to copyright. Information on other Intellectual property (IP) rights, including additional starter guides, appears in Practice Note: Intellectual property (IP)—new starter guide. Where topics fall outside this guide, consult the two Copyright subtopics:

For summaries of these areas, see: Copyright & associated rights—overview and Copyright disputes—overview. The guide also explains how to subscribe to the IP daily and weekly news alerts and how to contact the LexisAsk team.

Introductory materials

For an introduction to copyright law, see Practice Notes:

Copyright—subsistence and qualification
Copyright—protectable works
Copyright—authorship and ownership
Duration of copyright
Copyright infringement
Copyright—secondary infringement
Copyright—permitted acts and defences

Protecting copyright—training materials

Protecting copyright—training materials comprise template PowerPoint slides that can serve as the basis for one or more training seminars on issues arising in relation to copyright. It is anticipated...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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