originality

Originality is a perquisite for copyright protection for certain works under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 UK. It is requirement that literary, artistic, dramatic, and musical works be original in order to qualify for copyright protection.

Originality is satisfied where the copyright work in question is the work of the author and not a copy of another's creation, and the work to the extent that it draws on existing material, exhibits more than trivial or negligible skill in its creation.  The level of skill and labour required to satisfy the requirement of originality is generally satisfied provided that the creation of the work is not a purely mechanical exercise. 

Usage: The magazine title was too short to satisfy the requirement of originality as a literary work for the purposes of copyright protection.

Related Words: fixation; subsistence of copyright; exclusive rights of copyright.