Sources of information about copyright
Introducing copyright laws
For basic copyright information without waffle or too much technical jargon, the following fact sheets, provided by the UK Copyright Service, are a great place to start:
Written in a very simple, ‘no nonsence way’, the Copyright Law fact sheet provides is a very concise, yet suprising thorough overview of how copyright works. Although it specifically deals with UK laws, the overall concepts and ideas provide a good basis to how all copyright legislation works.
The Using Copyright Notices fact sheet takes you through the process of wording your copyright notice and explains what each part is form and what phrases like ‘all rights reserved’ actually mean, and the Copyright Infringement fact sheet explains what to do when your work is infringed.
The above fact sheets are free to reproduce for personal, educational and noncommercial use, (check the UKCS website for details).
Getting technical?
It’s not light reading, but to find out specific points, and for more detailed research, the 1988 Copyright, Design and Patents Act is certainly worth checking out:
Free legal advice pages
The Free Legal Advice Site is a another good source of advice.