Copyright is a form of intellectual property that automatically protects original creative and written work — text, images, software, music, video, designs and more — the moment it is created and recorded. In the UK there is no registration and no fee; protection is automatic. It gives the owner the exclusive right to copy, publish, adapt and distribute the work, and for most works it lasts the life of the author plus 70 years.
Key takeaways
- Copyright protects original works — writing, images, software, music, film, designs and more.
- It arises automatically in the UK; there is no registration system and no fee.
- The owner gets exclusive rights to copy, share, adapt and license the work.
- For most works, copyright lasts the author’s lifetime plus 70 years.
- Ownership often surprises businesses — work by employees usually belongs to the employer, but work by freelancers usually doesn’t, unless assigned in writing.
What does copyright protect?
Copyright covers a wide range of original material, including:
- Literary works — text, articles, marketing copy, manuals, and computer code.
- Artistic works — photographs, illustrations, graphics, logos and designs.
- Musical and dramatic works, and sound recordings, films and broadcasts.
- Typographical arrangements of published editions.
To qualify, a work must be original (the author’s own skill and effort, not copied) and recorded in some form — written down, saved, filmed or otherwise fixed. Copyright protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. So copyright protects your specific website copy, but not the underlying concept of selling that product; it protects a particular photograph, but not the general idea of photographing a sunset. This distinction matters because it defines the boundary of what you can stop others from doing.
How does copyright arise — and does it cost anything?
In the UK, copyright is automatic and free. There is no register and no application: the moment you write the article, take the photo, or save the code, copyright exists under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This sets it apart from trade marks and patents, which must be applied and paid for. It is one of the most valuable rights a business holds, and it costs nothing to acquire.
That said, businesses often add a layer of evidence — keeping dated drafts, using the © symbol with the owner’s name and year, version histories, or depositing copies with a third party — to help prove when and by whom a work was created if a dispute arises. None of this creates the copyright; it simply helps you prove it. In a dispute, being able to show clearly that you created a work first, and when, can be decisive, so good record-keeping is a sensible, low-cost habit.
Who owns the copyright? (The part businesses get wrong)
| Who created it | Default owner |
|---|---|
| Your employee, in the course of employment | The employer (your business) |
| A freelancer or agency you paid | The freelancer/agency, unless assigned to you in writing |
| You personally | You, unless transferred |
The freelancer rule catches many businesses out. Paying a designer to create your logo or a developer to build your site does not automatically transfer copyright to you — you typically receive a licence to use the work, but the freelancer may retain ownership unless there is a written assignment. The practical consequences can be serious: a business that later wants to modify the work, license it, or stop the freelancer reusing it for a competitor may find it cannot, because it never actually owned the rights. For any commissioned brand, design, content or software work, getting copyright assigned in writing is essential, and it is far easier to do at the point of commissioning than to negotiate years later.
How long does copyright last?
- Literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works — life of the author plus 70 years.
- Sound recordings and broadcasts — generally 50–70 years from creation or release.
- Typographical arrangements — 25 years from publication.
After copyright expires, the work enters the public domain and can be used freely by anyone. These long durations are one reason copyright is such a valuable asset — a body of content, software or designs can generate value for decades.
Copyright vs trade mark vs design
These are different tools that often work together, and confusing them is common:
- Copyright protects creative and written works automatically (for example, your website text, photographs and code).
- Trade marks protect brand identifiers like names and logos, and must be registered to gain the strongest protection — see our guide to UK trade mark registration costs in 2026.
- Registered designs protect the appearance of products — shape, configuration, pattern or ornament.
- Patents protect inventions and how things work, and require registration.
A single logo, for example, may be protected by copyright (as an artistic work) and registered as a trade mark — the two reinforce each other. Understanding which right applies to which asset helps a business protect its intellectual property efficiently, rather than leaving gaps or paying for protection it does not need.
Protecting your copyright in practice
Because copyright is automatic, the practical work is less about acquiring it and more about managing and enforcing it. Sensible steps include: securing written assignments from every freelancer and agency; keeping clear records of who created what and when; marking key works with a copyright notice; and setting out, in contracts with staff and contractors, who owns the intellectual property they produce. If infringement occurs — someone copies your content, images or code — responses range from a polite request, to a formal cease-and-desist, to a takedown request to a platform or marketplace, and ultimately to legal action. The stronger your evidence of ownership, the easier each of these is.
Copyright and AI-generated content: a modern question
A growing question for businesses is what happens to copyright when content is generated using artificial intelligence. This is an evolving area, but a few practical points help. First, purely machine-generated material raises difficult questions about whether copyright exists at all and, if so, who owns it — the legal position is still developing and businesses should not assume they automatically own AI outputs in the way they would own a human employee’s work. Second, content produced with significant human creative input — where a person directs, selects, edits and arranges the material — is more likely to attract protection, with the human’s contribution being key. Third, there is a risk in the input as well as the output: feeding someone else’s copyright work into a tool, or using outputs that closely reproduce protected material, can create infringement risk.
For most businesses, the sensible approach is to treat AI as a tool used by people, keep records of the human creative contribution, and be cautious about relying on AI output as a protected, exclusively owned asset without checking the position. As the law settles, building good habits now — documenting who did what, and not assuming ownership — protects you against uncertainty later. If AI-generated material is central to your business, it is worth seeking specific advice rather than relying on general assumptions.
London businesses
London’s economy is rich in creative, media, tech and professional-services businesses whose core assets are copyright works — content, code, designs and brand materials. With so much commissioning of freelancers and agencies in the capital, the ownership issue is especially live: a London business that hasn’t secured written copyright assignments from its creatives may not actually own the assets it relies on every day, from its website to its software to its brand imagery. For a business whose value sits largely in its intellectual property — as is true of so many London firms — getting copyright ownership documented properly is not a legal nicety but a protection of the company’s core worth, particularly important if the business is ever sold, as buyers will scrutinise exactly who owns what.
How Hayhills can help
Hayhills provides brand protection and intellectual property advisory support through our Brand Protection and Intellectual Property service — helping you understand what you own, secure copyright assignments from freelancers and agencies, and protect your commercial position against copying and online infringement.
What is copyright protection?
It is automatic legal protection for original creative and written works — text, images, software, music and more — giving the owner exclusive rights to copy, share and adapt the work.
Do I have to register copyright in the UK?
No. Copyright is automatic and free in the UK; there is no registration system.
How long does copyright last?
For most works, the life of the author plus 70 years. Sound recordings, broadcasts and typographical arrangements have different terms.
If I pay a freelancer, do I own the copyright?
Not automatically. The freelancer usually retains ownership unless copyright is assigned to you in writing, so a written assignment is important.
What is the difference between copyright and a trade mark?
Copyright automatically protects creative works; a trade mark protects brand identifiers such as names and logos and must be registered for the strongest protection.
How do I prove I own a copyright work?
By keeping dated records — drafts, version histories, copyright notices — that show when and by whom the work was created.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Hayhills Limited, trading as Hayhills Legal Advisory, provides non-reserved legal advisory services. Always check current requirements at GOV.UK.