Copyright & IP

Copyright is the cornerstone of the publishing process. The UK’s current copyright provisions, widely considered as gold-standard, aim to ensure authors and publishers are fairly rewarded for their work and creativity.   

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, protected in law via copyright, patent, design and trade mark provisions. 

Championing the UK’s intellectual property framework is crucial – particularly at a time when the country is negotiating a series of future trade deals.   

We want strong intellectual property laws to be pre-requisites for those trade deals. Trade negotiations and other international forums are also a significant opportunity to increase international cooperation on rights enforcement.    

One of our key objectives is to promote the intellectual property agenda, copyright in particular, and work to ensure that laws are enforced, both at home and in overseas markets.  

Copyright law and policy issues are addressed across our various meeting groups and we work closely with key partners to influence the copyright agenda, undertaking campaigns and external affairs activity, and promoting the role of copyright in investment in the creation of published material. 

We also provide support to our members in respect of copyright infringement, the ever-evolving piracy threat, and enforcement action in key territories around the world.  

We work with local partners and with the support of associations such as the International Publishers Association, the Association of American Publishers and the Federation of European Publishers. We also work with relevant UK government departments.