Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988

Legislation relevant to Computer Science: Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988

1.6.1 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact

Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact — Note 5 of 6

What you need to know

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects original creative works from being copied or used without the creator's permission. This includes software, music, images, websites, books, and films.

What to know

Applies to: books, music, films, software code, images, websites, radio/TV broadcasts.
Creators automatically OWN copyright to their original work — no registration needed.
No one else can copy, share, adapt, or distribute the work without the creator's permission.

Key terms

Copyright: Automatic legal protection given to original creative works, giving the creator the right to control how their work is used, copied, shared, and adapted.

Exam technique

Tip:Copyright is AUTOMATIC — creators do not need to apply for it. As soon as they create something original, they own the copyright.

Example:Copyright Act applies when — using someone's picture for a logo without permission, copying a Hollywood movie and sharing it, or replicating a software interface without permission.

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Practise 1.6.1 questions

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