What is copyright?

Everyone working in the NHS, from consultants and specialists to support and frontline staff, has exceptional expertise and insight into their line of work. Staff are therefore an excellent source of great ideas and innovative solutions to the broad and complex problems faced here and across the NHS.

However, having an idea is just the beginning. When moving to develop your idea further, it can be difficult to find the right advice and understand what your next steps should be. One of the most important things to think about at this stage is intellectual property (IP). How can you make sure your idea stays protected? What systems are in place to make sure it isn’t stolen, copied or exploited by others?

Copyright allows the creator of an original piece of work to publish, produce or otherwise use their material exclusively. The copyright symbol © is easily recognisable and often seen in our daily lives. However, it does not need to be shown in order for copyright protection to apply. Copyright is an automatic right granted upon the creation of any original piece of work.

Copyright automatically applies to any original work. This can mean anything from images and video to written work, software or web pages. One important aspect of copyright law to remember is the breadth of the term ‘written work’. This does not just refer to pieces of writing, but also software, coding and entire databases.

Copyright acknowledges the commercial value of information and applies to any table, list or set of data which has been produced through substantial investment. Copyright cannot, however, be used to protect your ideas. It only applies to a recorded or produced work.

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