How copyright protects your work
Stop people using your work
You’re responsible for defending your copyright material against infringement.
Some people or organisations (such as libraries or schools) may be able to use copyright work without permission. You should check whether someone’s use of your work is permitted before trying to stop them.
If you think someone is using your work and they don’t know you own the rights
People or organisations must apply for a licence if they want to use a work that’s covered by copyright but do not know who the rights holder is.
Check the licences register to see if anyone has licensed your work or is in the process of applying for a licence. If your work is on the register you can:
- apply to have an application stopped
- claim the licence fee that’s been paid (if a licence has already been issued)
If you have a dispute about licensing
Your collecting society can contact the Copyright Tribunal and ask them to decide on some disputes about licensing.
Copyright Tribunal
copyright.tribunal@ipo.gov.uk
Telephone: 01633 814 044
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
They can also contact them by post.
The Secretary
Copyright Tribunal
10 Victoria Street
London
SW1H ONN
Help with copyright law
The IPO Customer Support Centre offers general advice on copyright law.
IPO Customer Support Centre
information@ipo.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 300 2000
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
You can get advice on particular legal issues from an intellectual property (IP) professional.
If you’d like more guidance about an area of copyright law
You can also ask IPO to publish guidance about an area of copyright law.
They might publish a public ‘copyright notice’ if your question highlights a gap in the general copyright guidance.