The effect of copyright (Part 1 of 3)
People often ask how they can obtain copyright. The answer is
simple – they need do nothing, it comes into existence by
itself.
Copyright is an automatic statutory right providing the owner of
the copyright legal protection for original work. The right is
provided for various types of works, for example, novels, drawings,
photographs and films (click here
for a complete list of works).
It is, however, important that the work be original. It also
needs to be in a material form. Consequently, there is no copyright
in an idea.
The owner of a copyright is generally the author of the work but
there are important exceptions. For example, the person who
commissions the taking of a photograph, painting, drawing, film or
sound recording is the owner of the copyright. In an
employee-employer relationship, the employer will be the owner,
provided that the work was done in the scope of employment. And for
computer programs, the
