UK Copyright for Literary Works: What Every Writer Should Know

It’s automatic. In the UK, copyright arises the moment your original work is written down or otherwise recorded (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988). No registration, no forms, no fees. Copyright protects your specific expression, not the underlying ideas or “vibes” of your plot.

What counts as a “literary work”? Way more than books. It includes poems, articles, screenplays, software code, and some databases/compilations. (Databases may also have a separate database right.)

Who owns it? Usually the author. If you wrote it as an employee “in the course of employment,” your employer is the first owner unless your contract says otherwise. Commissioned work is not automatically owned by the commissioner—ownership must be transferred by a written, signed assignment.

How long does it last? For literary works: the author’s life plus 70 years. After that, the work enters the public domain. Special case: “computer-generated works” with no human author (rare in practice) last 50 years from the end of the year they’re made; the “author” is the person who made the necessary arrangements.

Moral rights (don’t skip this):

• Right to be identified (paternity)—you can insist on being named when your work is used; you must assert this right (in writing) to rely on it.
• Right to object to derogatory treatment (integrity)—protects against distortions that harm your reputation; this right arises automatically.
• Right not to have false attribution—don’t be named as author of something you didn’t write.
  Moral rights typically last as long as copyright (false attribution lasts for your life plus 20 years). Publishing contracts often ask you to waive moral rights—read carefully.

What others can do without asking (fair dealing):

Limited exceptions allow use without permission if the dealing is fair and properly credited, including: quotation; criticism/review; reporting current events; research and private study (non-commercial); parody, caricature, pastiche; certain educational and library uses; and text-and-data mining for non-commercial research. “Fair” depends on factors like amount used and market impact—small, justified extracts with acknowledgement are safer than large chunks.

Infringement, in a nutshell:

Using a substantial part of your work without permission can infringe—copying, issuing copies, communicating to the public (e.g., posting online), or making adaptations. Remedies can include injunctions, damages or an account of profits, and orders to deliver up infringing copies.

Licensing your work:

You can grant exclusive or non-exclusive licences; exclusives must be in writing and signed. Creative Commons licences are handy if you want to allow broad reuse on stated terms (e.g., attribution-only). Keep records of what you’ve licensed and for how long.

Money you might be missing:

UK authors can receive payments via the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) for certain secondary uses (like photocopying in education) and Public Lending Right (PLR) for library loans (administered by the British Library). Worth registering.

International protection:

Thanks to the Berne Convention, your UK work is protected in most countries without registration, though enforcement rules vary by territory.

Practical tips:

Date your drafts and keep backups; include a copyright notice (not required, but helpful); assert your moral rights in contracts; avoid “poor man’s copyright” myths; and get tailored legal advice for edge cases (collaborations, ghostwriting, AI-assisted workflows, or work-for-hire clauses).

This is general guidance, not legal advice. If a contract or dispute is in play, speak to a solicitor.