You may think that if you create a piece of art or put out some creative project, then you need to copyright it. Let us clear up any questions you may have!

There are some platforms that will copyright your work, however this isn’t always necessary.

The majority of original work will automatically be under copyright once it is fixed in a tangible object – unless the creator states otherwise through labelling the content as Creative Commons.

For example in the USA and UK, you automatically obtain copyright protection when you create:

• Original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic work, including illustration and photography
• Original non-literary written work, such as software, web content and databases
• Sound and music recordings
• Film and television recordings
• Broadcasts
• The layout of published editions of written, dramatic and musical works

This in addition to the Berne Convention states that all works except photographic and cinematographic shall be copyrighted for at least 50 years after the author’s death, but parties are free to provide longer terms.

In most countries copyright lasts a minimum of life plus 50 years for most types of written, dramatic and artistic works, and at least 25 years for photographs. It can be different for other types of work.