Copyright Myths in the United Kingdom

As innovators, inventors and musicians wish to copyright their work to prevent others from stealing it, they cannot protect its every aspect completely. Here are some myths existing in the United Kingdom’s copyright service.

1.     Ideas

A copyright only applies to a recorded work, but not to an idea. Inventions usually have patents. The actual recorded work, which includes documents, music, music sheets, artwork and other data, if copied by a competitor, the copyright services consider as a copyright infringement. There is no way you could prevent others from developing on the similar idea you have.

2.     Names and Titles

Copyrights do not apply to names and titles that are very common or easily duplicated. Two works might have the same title as long as none of them copied or adapted from each other. There is still protection on the name if it is a trademark or if it could mislead or confuse the public. The protection is solely reliant on the connotation of the name in society.

3.     Poor Man’s Copyright

The poor man’s copyright, which is posting a copy of your work to yourself, actually will not protect your work because it will be very easy to fake the documentations by changing the date of your materials. Even if you send your work to yourself for a record in the postal service, the materials can be swapped inside the packages, or unless proven otherwise.