Copyright
Intellectual Property Rights

Copyright is one of the central branches of the law of intellectual property. The law of copyright gives an owner the exclusive right to prevent reproduction of certain works by others. Copyright provides owners with some element of control over the exploitation of their works. Copyright protection applies automatically from the moment the work comes into existence and subsists usually for at least 50 years. Copyright does not extend to ideas, or schemes, or systems or methods; it is confined to their expression - that is the form in which they appear either on a page or the form in which they are otherwise recorded.

Ownership of Copyright

Usually the author is the first owner of copyright except when the work is made by an employee in the course of their employment. In that case, the employer will be the first owner of any copyright in the work. These rules may be altered by contractual agreement.