What is it?
Copyright is often misunderstood. It is not the ownership of something but it is the right to prevent others from copying some types of work known as "literary" or "artistic" works.
"Literary" applies to computer programmes, data spreadsheets, and instruction manuals even though really, these are normally just factual. Perhaps obviously it covers books, novels etc. It covers the wording for a website and this Factsheet! Just to avoid any doubt, a plain English explanation would be that it covers how the words are set out not the words themselves.
"Artistic" refers to things such as photos, drawings, garden plans, engineering drawings and architects plans
How do I get it?
You "get" copyright immediately you create an original work by your own skill and effort - so if you largely use somebody else’s work (even if you change it a little bit!) you don’t have the copyright in it.
