COPYRIGHT LAW IN THE UK
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COPYRIGHT LAW IN THE UK
The index page for the UK Patent Office -- a set of links (not legal advice) concerning the nature, history and extent of copyright in the UK, copyright FAQ, glossary,brochures and guides, news of changes. Also contains links to the roles of the Copyright Directive and Copyright Tribunal. The legislative info is less comprehensive than might have been hoped -- publication titles rather than the texts of the relevant Acts.
UK Intellectual Property (UK Government)
This bipartite page deals with the whole spectrum of intellectual property protection in the UK -- trademarks, patents, designs, databases, and traditional publication. The page includes links to licensing procedures, and latest news.
Creative Archive Licence Group
On April 13, 2005 a group of large publicly-funded institutions - Open University, Channel 4, the British Film Insitute, and the BBC (see below) - created a legal framework to promote the use of a single, shared user licence scheme for the downloading of moving images, audio and stills.
Other similar bodies are invited to join this group.
The site is very new. There is a FAQ containing some basic questions, such as creating material for cllassroom use, but most issues that need will need to be addressed have yet to arise.
BBC Creative Archive
Modelled more after the Open Source software general copyright than after Creative Commons some-rights agreements, the BBC's Creative Achive Licence, came into effect on April 15, 2005. This licence gives non-commercial creative access to some material in the BBC's audio and video archives.
Works incorporating material from this source must be non-commerical, acknowledge their source(s), and in turn be made available for similar re-working. This licence is intended primarily for use in the UK.
Creative Commons
In response to some of the issues raised in this 2003 edition of NOW, Lawrence Lessig suggested a new type of some-rights registration.
Creative Commons is non-profit organization publishing works under a voluntary "some rights reserved" copyright, thus making works free for futher creative use.
Yahoo has developed a specific search engine to locate these works.
This model is also being developed for music.
The Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd.
Home page of the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., the UK's Reproduction Rights Organization. There is an extensive list of links to various organizations, some institutional users of copyrighted material, some professional organizations (such as the Association of Photographers) which exist to promote the interests of creators.
Information from this site is not legal advice.
The Higher Education Licence (Copyright Licensing Agency)
Links on this page point to licensing agreements for various types of higher education institution in the UK.
The index of most popular pages provide information on licensing procedures beyond the Agency's charter (e.g. artistic works), lists of the kinds of works excluded from the Agency's field of action, and so on.
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild represents writers of all media - the Books Section pioneered the Public Lending Right and minimum terms agreements for writers.
The Society of Authors
A trade union for professional writers, the Society provides advice on all aspects of writing, including contracts; lobbies for improved legislation on matters of libel, copyright and related issues; endeavours to increase the returns to authors from the Public Lending Right; performs independent assessments of publishers; runs random royalty audits, and engages in many other useful counterbalances to the forces surrounding the individual writer.
National Union of Journalists
Founded in 1907, covering writers, photographers, illustrators, editors and sub-editors, the NUJ is concerned with the working rights and professional freedom of staff and freelance journalists in throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.
The Crime Writers Association of Great Britain
With awards, competitions, events, news of members' latest books, links, FAQ, 4 levels of membership; the Association exists to enhance members' social contacts with other crime writers and to further the interests of the genre.
