Q. What is copyright?

What is copyright?

Essentially, the right to:

• copy a work
• adapt a work
• make copies of a work available for distribution
• broadcast a work
• show, play or perform a work in public

What is covered under copyright law?

• any original work that has been written down or recorded in any form (it doesn't need to have been published)
• works copied using mobile technologies - including streamed materials, and material loaded onto an e-reader
  
• copyright doesn't have to be registered - it automatically exists
• thoughts and ideas aren't protected
• copyright on works made during a course of employment by an employee generally belongs to the employer unless specifically agreed otherwise (see ARU's IP policy)

How long does copyright last?

• generally, 70 years from the death of the author/creator (though bear in mind that these may be multiple)
• sound recordings: 70 years after their creation, broadcast or release
• typographic arrangements (including music scores): 25 years after creation
• work published in a country other than the EU or US may be subject to a shorter period of copyright (50 years)