AUTOMATIC
No form, no fee
GOV.UK says you get copyright automatically when you create original artistic work, including illustration. There is no register of copyright works in the UK, and the © mark is optional.
See the numbersEvery original doodle is protected the moment it exists.
UK copyright is automatic: there is no register and no fee. But who owns it, for how long, and what you can sign away all depend on the circumstances. This independent guide sets out what GOV.UK and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 say.
- Automatic from creation
- Lasts a lifetime and 70 years
- License or sell in writing
- Know your rights as a maker
THE SHORT ANSWER
Automatic, long-lasting,
and yours to license.
Three facts cover most questions.
All three come from GOV.UK and the 1988 Act.
AT WORK
Your job may own it
Under section 11 of the 1988 Act, the author is the first owner, but work made by an employee in the course of employment belongs to the employer unless agreed otherwise.
Check who owns it
SELLING RIGHTS
Put it in writing
You can license your work or sell the copyright. GOV.UK says a sale or transfer needs a written, signed document, sometimes called an assignment.
Four habits
FOUR HABITS FOR ARTISTS
Simple steps,
clearer rights.
These follow from what GOV.UK and the Act say. They are general habits, not legal advice. GOV.UK lists the IPO Customer Support Centre for copyright questions.
Sign and date your work
The © mark, your name and the year are optional, but they tell people who to ask.
Check your job contract
Work made in the course of employment usually belongs to the employer unless you agree otherwise.
License before you sell
A licence lets someone use the work while you keep the copyright; a sale needs a signed assignment.
Assert your right to credit
The right to be named as author must be asserted, for example in writing or on the frame or mount of an exhibited work.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Free to get,
long to keep.
One number for the cost of protection,
one for how long it lasts.
£0
Fee to get copyright in the UK
You do not have to apply or pay a fee, and there is no UK register of copyright works. Marking work with ©, your name and the year does not change the protection.
COST · GOV.UK
70 years after death
Copyright in artistic work usually lasts
For written, dramatic, musical and artistic work, copyright usually lasts 70 years after the author's death. It can also be passed on by inheritance.
DURATION · GOV.UK
Abroad, GOV.UK says works may be protected through agreements such as the Berne Convention, with most countries giving at least life plus 50 years for artistic works.
A QUICK OWNERSHIP CHECK
Who owns
this drawing?
Pick a situation to see what the law says about who owns the copyright. The bar shows how much of the copyright stays with the person who drew it.
Based on GOV.UK guidance and sections 4 and 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. General information only, not legal advice; contracts can change the position.
MORAL RIGHTS
Your name stays
with your work.
Alongside copyright, GOV.UK lists moral rights: to be identified as the author, and to object to derogatory treatment of the work or to changes made to it. You can keep or waive them.
Section 78 of the 1988 Act says the right to be identified has to be asserted, for instance in a signed written statement, in an assignment, or by naming the artist on an exhibited original or its frame or mount.
In conversation
Questions people ask
Do I need to register my drawings to protect them?
No. GOV.UK says copyright protection is automatic, you do not have to apply or pay a fee, and there is no register of copyright works in the UK.
Does a quick doodle count?
The 1988 Act defines artistic work to include any drawing, 'irrespective of artistic quality'. The work does need to be original.
How long does copyright in a drawing last?
GOV.UK says written, dramatic, musical and artistic work is usually protected until 70 years after the author's death. The length can also depend on how long ago the work was made.
If I draw something at work, who owns it?
Section 11 says that where an artistic work is made by an employee in the course of employment, the employer is the first owner, subject to any agreement to the contrary.
What is the difference between licensing and selling?
A licence lets someone use your work on agreed terms while you keep the copyright. Selling or transferring it needs a written, signed document, sometimes called an assignment.
Sources
Each figure on this page comes from the sources below.
- GOV.UK: How copyright protects your work
- GOV.UK: How long copyright lasts
- GOV.UK: License and sell your copyright
- legislation.gov.uk: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 4 (artistic works)
- legislation.gov.uk: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11 (first ownership)
- legislation.gov.uk: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 78 (asserting the right to be identified)