We are a highly regarded intellectual property law firm that specialises in copyright services. We help those in the creative industries and beyond protect their work from copying, whether wholly or substantially. Our recent copyright cases include music disputes, book publishing contracts, computer game publishing agreements, artists’ resale rights, and far more.
If you believe an individual or organisation is infringing your copyright, experienced legal advice should be taken early. This is especially the case when significant sums are at stake. We have helped individuals, organisations, and personalities protect their work for over twenty-five years. We have dealt with many cases involving infringement of copyright, so we can offer helpful advice and support to allow you to take action and protect your work.
If you need an industry-recognised copyright lawyer, please get in touch to book a free consultation.
“My experience with Briffa has been brilliant. I approached Tom Synott about some copyright and intellectual property help.
The advice I received from the get-go was superb. Tom’s response time has always been incredible and he has really gone above and beyond to help me with any queries I had, both by phone and email. He really helped me sort out the problem I had with excellent knowledge and efficiency.”
Anya Angert, Copyright Services Client
Copyright arises automatically upon the creation of particular works and does not need to be registered explicitly in the UK or Europe.
There is a common misapprehension that including the copyright symbol on an item has some legal significance. It doesn’t matter – except to the extent that it puts the viewer or reader on notice that the owner is asserting their copyright. To that extent, it is valuable and worth including in most cases.
Copyright confers the right of the owner to prevent others from copying their work. It does not stifle the independent creation of works.
It is vital to keep records of your creative process when undertaking or creating new works in case of theft or copying. In software, you should include “footprints”, such as a deliberate mistake that uniquely identifies you as the author. Electronic imagery and videos should have watermarks or comments to assert ownership. When working on any new work, you should keep a full dated record of your background work, from the first scribbles on the back of an envelope to the finished piece.
All of the above will help protect your rights in the case of an infringement, which is where a specialist copyright solicitor can step in to help.
As copyright arises automatically upon the creation of a piece of work, i.e. without any formal registration process, a person or organisation infringes copyright if they copy your work wholly or substantially.
In some cases, copying is blatant, but most cases that end up in court are not so clear. There is no hard and fast rule to proving copyright infringement; that’s why it’s vital to seek experienced legal advice as soon as possible when you suspect that someone is copying your work.
Our copyright infringement lawyers have dealt with many cases of both clear and unclear copying. We can provide insight into the court process, assess the opponent and the potential loss, and recommend the right enforcement action to protect your brand.
Alternatively, if you’ve received a copyright infringement letter, i.e. another party believes you have infringed their copyright, then we can review and advise on your case. If you have a good legal case for defending the claim, we can lead that process for you.
We have been providing copyright services since 1995
We offer a free consultation to discuss your copyright protection needs before any fixed-fee quotes are given
We have offices in the UK and Europe to support clients across multiple jurisdictions
We offer an industry-leading service with short turnaround times and business-focused advice
Copyright is the legal right automatically given to a creator of an original work to use and reproduce that work exclusively. Copyright protects an owner’s work from duplication or use without their permission. In the UK, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 covers copyright law, which replaced the Copyright Act of 1956.
The copyright owner may not always be clear cut. For example, when a business’ employees create work, the copyright owner is (usually) the business and not the employee. Meanwhile, if the company instructs a third party to create work on their behalf (e.g. a design), the third party may own the copyright unless they transfer the rights.
Trade marks protect brand names, logos and slogans. A trade mark is a registered right, meaning that you need to go through an application process to get one. Conversely, copyright protects different works such as extended text, graphic works, illustrations, photographs, software code, music, sculptures and film. Copyright, at least in the UK and EU, isn’t a registered right and instead, it exists as soon as an original work is created.
Both trade marks and copyright are forms of intellectual property.
Subject to some exceptions, copyright typically lasts for 70 years after the death of the author. This is much longer than some other IP rights, such as designs and patents, and it means that there is a significant amount of time to monetise your copyright work with, for example, a licence agreement.
If you believe another individual or company is infringing your copyright, you should collect evidence, with screenshots and website links best. Next, you should speak to an experienced copyright solicitor. If that’s us, we will assess the details of the case and advise on the best course of action. The aim always should be to resolve the infringement in the quickest and most cost-effective manner. Most of the time, a resolution is found before court proceedings are necessary.
As a specialist copyright law firm in the UK, we have helped clients from a wide variety of sectors enforce their claims. For example:
Meet some of our specialist copyright solicitors who can assess your legal matters and advise on the best solution for you. Find the key contacts for this area below, or follow the link to meet the rest of the team.
We’ll start with a no obligation chat where we’ll get to know you and understand your current challenges.
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