Frequently asked questions about copyright

What can I register through Copyright House?
Can I register a logo or a name?
Can I register an idea?
If I work under an assumed name, what name would I need to use to register my works?
How confidential are the files I upload to Copyright House?
Can I view the work I have already submitted?
If I make changes to something that has already been uploaded, how do I update the uploaded file? Do I need to delete the one I've got stored and upload the latest version?
What should I do if my registered work is used by someone else?
How will other people know my work is protected?
Is my registered work protected world-wide?
I read that copyright automatically exists as soon as I have created my work. Why do I still need Copyright House?
I was wondering if there is any way of deleting any of my work? I have updated some of my songs and wouldn't want to get confused as to which one I actually want if I ever needed to use them.
Do you have file size limits?
How do I register copyright for my website?
Can I renew my copyright after 10 years if I choose the 10 year option?
Do I have to state the copyright notice at the first pages of my book?
Can I sell my copyright later to any academic body who wishes to continue with publication?

What can I register through Copyright House?

You can register any creative work which is in some tangible form. It should be original and created by you. This includes any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work.

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Can I register a logo, a title or a name?

You can register a logo, but only the design element is copyrighted. If the logo contains the name of your business, then that name will not be protected by copyright. You need to apply for a trade mark at the UK Intellectual Property Office to get protection for your trading name. Titles and slogans can also be trade marked.

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Can I register an idea?

Until the idea is in a concrete form, such as a song, or a piece of art, then it is not possible to claim copyright ownership. However, if your idea is about something other than a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, you should contact the UK Patent Office, who will advise you how best to proceed.

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If I work under an assumed name, what name would I need to use to register my works?

You should create the account in your own name, but it is also important to register that you're using a different name.

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How confidential are the files I upload to Copyright House?

Your files are completely confidential and secure. All files are encrypted before storage and stored in a secure environment. Original files cannot be downloaded by anyone, including yourself. This is to protect the original work from being changed at a later date. However, newer versions of the work can be uploaded at any time, in addition to the original. All versions will be kept.

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Can I view the work I have already submitted?

Yes, work can be viewed in your personal account after you have logged in with your registration details.

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If I make changes to something that has already been uploaded, how do I update the uploaded file? Do I need to delete the one I've got stored and upload the latest version?

You don't need to delete the old file, you can upload the updated version of the work, and even if it has the same name, it doesn't matter, because the newly uploaded file will automatically keep the same name but add unique characters to the file name. The original file will still be kept under the original name.

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What should I do if my registered work is used by someone else?

Firstly, contact the person who has infringed your work, and inform them you are the creator of the work, and that your work is registered at Copyright House. Ask the person to stop using your work immediately. If they continue to use your work then you will need to issue legal proceedings against this person. Copyright House will be able to send an affidavit and a copy of the registered work to your solicitor. Copyright House will pay for the costs of the affidavit.

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How will other people know my work is protected?

After every upload you will receive an e-mail containing a certificate of registration and also a small image to use on your publication or website.

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Is my registered work protected world-wide?

You can publish your book internationally, because copyright is valid in all the 164 countries who are signatories of the "Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works". Some countries have not signed for this yet and your work won't be covered in those countries. Click for the list of 164 countries who are signatories of the Berne Convention.

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I read that copyright automatically exists as soon as I have created my work. Why do I still need Copyright House?

The law says that copyright automatically exists as soon as your work is available in some tangible form. However, you need to be able to prove that it's you who created the work and not somebody else. For this you need Copyright House. By registering your work, you will receive a certificate of registration and in case of infringement, Copyright House can, on your request, provide an affidavit stating that the work has been registered since a certain date and time. Copyright House acts therefore as an independent third-party proof of copyright service.

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I was wondering if there is any way of deleting any of my work? I have updated some of my songs and wouldn't want to get confused as to which one I actually want if I ever needed to use them.

We could delete files from your copyright account, but it might be better to leave everything as it is. Previous versions of your work add to the proof of copyright, because they all show the natural and gradual development towards the final version. We suggest to upload your newer versions and add some text to the original title, like: version2, v2. The old file will not be overwritten, even if you upload the same filename. Instead, the file will get a few letters and numbers added to it. The date and time stamps will show you exactly which one is old and which one is new.

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Do you have file size limits?

The file size limit is currently set to 500MB. From our experience this will be sufficient for 99.9% of the registered works. If you would like to upload even larger files, then give us a ring and we'll adjust the file size settings for your copyright account.

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How do I register copyright for my website?

If you would like to copyright protect your web pages, it will not be enough to upload the html file only. In order to also register the images and the design elements of the web page, please do the following:
Right click the page of your website you would like to protect and choose "save page as".
In the sub-bar, please choose "Webpage, complete" and save it to a new folder on your computer. You will see that this folder contains all the files and images necessary to reproduce the webpage.
Then ZIP this folder and upload the zip file, which will contain all the images etc., into your copyright account.

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Can I renew my copyright after 10 years if I choose the 10 year option?

You can renew your copyright after 10 years and because of our price-freeze promise you'll pay the same amount as you did during signup.

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Do I have to state the copyright notice at the first pages of my book?

It's good to do this. Usually the copyright statement is printed in the beginning of the book for determent puposes. The text could be for instance: Copyright © (year) (your name). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.