Frequently asked questions


Table of Contents


Copyright is the legal right to reproduce, sell or license a creative work. In short, the right to copy. To find out more visit our what is copyright page.

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How do I copyright my work?

It is a common misconception that when you create something that you have to, 'get it copyrighted'. As soon as you create an artistic or literary work YOU AUTOMATICALLY OWN THE COPYRIGHT
Unlike trademarks and patents, copyright is not something a company grants you; you already have it. However! Should an infringement occur, how are you going to prove that you are the true owner of the copyright......?

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In response to the question posed at the end of the previous answer; Copyright House helps you prove your ownership of copyright. By registering your copyright with Copyright House, you'll have an independent third-party helping you prove your copyright ownership.
One of the many benefits of registering your copyright with Copyright House is that we actually hold a genuine copy of your work. In the case of an infringement, we not only have the data to prove that you have registered your copyright of the work and the date when you registered the work in question, but we also have physical evidence to back it up.
At Copyright House we provide a dedicated secure server for your uploaded files, your files are quickly removed from our server and stored in fire-proof data safes, your copyright will be valid in 177 countries worldwide, one small fee is all you pay, the list goes on and on. To find out even more reasons why you should register your work with Copyright House, please visit our why choose Copyright House page.

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There is no official copyright registration service in the UK. Although some copyright registration services may look like 'the UK's official copyright service', they are not.

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What can I register through Copyright House?

You can register any creative work which is in some tangible form. It should be original and created by you. This includes any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work.

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Can I register a logo, a title or a name?

You can register a logo, but only the design element is copyrighted. If the logo contains the name of your business, then that name will not be protected by copyright. You need to apply for a trade mark at the UK Intellectual Property Office to get protection for your trading name. Titles and slogans can also be trade marked.

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Can I register an idea?

Until the idea is in a concrete form, such as a song, or a piece of art, then it is not possible to claim copyright ownership. However, if your idea is about something other than a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, you should contact the UK Patent Office, who will advise you how best to proceed.

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If I work under an assumed name, what name would I need to use to register my works?

You should create the account in your own name, but it is also important to register that you're using a different name.

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How confidential are the files I upload to Copyright House?

Your files are completely confidential and secure. All files are encrypted before storage and stored in a secure environment. Original files cannot be downloaded by anyone, including yourself. This is to protect the original work from being changed at a later date. However, newer versions of the work can be uploaded at any time, in addition to the original, at no extra cost. All versions will be kept.

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Can I view the work I have already submitted?

Yes, work can be viewed in your personal account after you have logged in with your registration details. For security reasons they can not be downloaded. You can also view a select part of your registration details in our directory of registered works. If you've lost one of the uploaded files, then please contact us. Downloading a file to check whether it has been uploaded correctly can only be done right after the file has been uploaded.

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If I make changes to something that has already been uploaded, how do I update the uploaded file? Do I need to delete the one I've got stored and upload the latest version?

You don't need to delete the old file, you can upload the updated version of the work, and even if it has the same name, it doesn't matter, because the newly uploaded file will automatically keep the same name but add unique characters to the file name. The original file will still be kept under the original name.

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What would happen to my registered works if your company ceases trading?

In the unlikely event that Copyright House Limited would stop trading, contingency plans have been set up so that you won't lose your registered works. An agreement has been made with a reputable UK limited company. This agreement states that all existing registrations will be honoured. (all submitted works will continue to be protected, new works may be submitted for copyright protection and affidavits will be issued, if needed)

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What should I do if my registered work is used by someone else?

Firstly, contact the person who has infringed your work, and inform them you are the creator of the work, and that your work is registered at Copyright House. Ask the person to stop using your work immediately. If they continue to use your work then you will need to issue legal proceedings against this person. Copyright House will, on your request, send an affidavit and a copy of the registered work to your solicitor. Copyright House can pay for the costs of the affidavit. Terms and Conditions apply.

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How will other people know my work is protected?

After every upload you will receive an e-mail containing a certificate of registration and also a small image to use on your publication or website. A selection of the registration details of your work is also shown in the Copyright House Directory of Registered Works. (Unless you indicate that you prefer to opt out of the directory)

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Is my registered work protected world-wide?

You can publish your book internationally, because copyright is valid in all the 177 countries who are signatories of the "Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works". Some countries have not signed for this yet and your work won't be covered in those countries. Click for the list of 177 countries who are signatories of the Berne Convention.

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Do you have file size limits?

The file size limit is currently set to 1GB. From our experience this will be sufficient for 99.9% of the registered works. If you would like to upload even larger files, then please use a file splitter.

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How do I register copyright for my website?

If you would like to protect your HTML web pages, it will not be enough to upload the html file only. In order to also register the images and the design elements of the web page, please do the following:
Right click the page of your website you would like to protect and choose "save page as".
In the sub-bar, please choose "Webpage, complete" and save it to a new folder on your computer. You will see that this folder contains all the files and images necessary to reproduce the webpage.
Then ZIP this folder and upload the zip file, which will contain all the images etc., into your copyright account.
NOTE: If your website is using dynamic script, like PHP or ASP, then it may be easiest to upload all your website texts, -designs and -images individually or in a ZIP file.

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Do I have to state the copyright notice at the first pages of my book?

It's good to do this. Usually the copyright statement is printed in the beginning of the book for determent puposes. The text could be for instance: Copyright © (year) (your name). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

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Can I sell my copyright later to any academic body who wishes to continue with publication?

Yes, you can sell your copyright to any academic body. You're advised to do the transfer of copyright in writing, signed by you, or by your lawyer, or authorised agent.

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I was wondering if there is any way of deleting any of my work? I have updated some of my songs and wouldn't want to get confused as to which one I actually want if I ever needed to use them.

We could delete files from your copyright account, but it might be better to leave everything as it is. Previous versions of your work add to the proof of copyright, because they all show the natural and gradual development towards the final version. We suggest to upload your newer versions and add some text to the original title, like: version2, v2. The old file will not be overwritten, even if you upload the same filename. Instead, the file will get a few letters and numbers added to it. The date and time stamps will show you exactly which one is old and which one is new.

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