Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

The acts restricted by copyright U.K.

16 The acts restricted by copyright in a work. U.K.

(1) The owner of the copyright in a work has, in accordance with the following provisions of this Chapter, the exclusive right to do the following acts in the United Kingdom—

(a) to copy the work (see section 17);

(b) to issue copies of the work to the public (see section 18);

[F1 (ba) to rent or lend the work to the public (see section 18A);]

(c) to perform, show or play the work in public (see section 19);

[F2 (d) to communicate the work to the public (see section 20);]

(e) to make an adaptation of the work or do any of the above in relation to an adaptation (see section 21);

and those acts are referred to in this Part as the “acts restricted by the copyright”.

(2) Copyright in a work is infringed by a person who without the licence of the copyright owner does, or authorises another to do, any of the acts restricted by the copyright.

(3) References in this Part to the doing of an act restricted by the copyright in a work are to the doing of it—

(a) in relation to the work as a whole or any substantial part of it, and

(b) either directly or indirectly;

and it is immaterial whether any intervening acts themselves infringe copyright.

(4) This Chapter has effect subject to—

(a) the provisions of Chapter III (acts permitted in relation to copyright works), and

(b) the provisions of Chapter VII (provisions with respect to copyright licensing).

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 16(1)(ba) inserted (1.12.1996) by S.I. 1996/2967, reg. 10(1) (with Pt. III)

F2 S. 16(1)(d) substituted (31.10.2003) by The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2498), reg. 6(2) (with regs. 31-40)

17 Infringement of copyright by copying. U.K.

(1) The copying of the work is an act restricted by the copyright in every description of copyright work; and references in this Part to copying and copies shall be construed as follows.

(2) Copying in relation to a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work means reproducing the work in any material form.

This includes storing the work in any medium by electronic means.

(3) In relation to an artistic work copying includes the making of a copy in three dimensions of a two-dimensional work and the making of a copy in two dimensions of a three-dimensional work.

(4) Copying in relation to a film [F3 or broadcast] includes making a photograph of the whole or any substantial part of any image forming part of the film [F3 or broadcast].

(5) Copying in relation to the typographical arrangement of a published edition means making a facsimile copy of the arrangement.

(6) Copying in relation to any description of work includes the making of copies which are transient or are incidental to some other use of the work.

Textual Amendments

F3 Words in s. 17(4) substituted (31.10.2003) by The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2498), regs. 2(1), 5(5), Sch. 1 para. 3(1)(a) (with regs. 31-40)

18 Infringement by issue of copies to the public. U.K.

(1) The issue to the public of copies of the work is an act restricted by the copyright in every description of copyright work.

[F4 F4 (2) References in this Part to the issue to the public of copies of a work are to—

(a) the act of putting into circulation in the EEA copies not previously put into circulation in the EEA by or with the consent of the copyright owner, or

(b) the act of putting into circulation outside the EEA copies not previously put into circulation in the EEA or elsewhere.

F4 (3) References in this Part to the issue to the public of copies of a work do not include—

(a) any subsequent distribution, sale, hiring or loan of copies previously put into circulation (but see section 18A: infringement by rental or lending), or

(b) any subsequent importation of such copies into the United Kingdom or another EEA state,

except so far as paragraph (a) of subsection (2) applies to putting into circulation in the EEA copies previously put into circulation outside the EEA.]

[F5 (4) References in this Part to the issue of copies of a work include the issue of the original.]

Textual Amendments

F4 S. 18(2)(3) substituted (1.12.1996) by S.I. 1996/2967, reg. 9(2) (with Pt. III)

F5 S. 18(4) added (1.12.1996) by S.I. 1996/2967, reg. 9(3) (with Pt. III)

[F6 18A Infringement by rental or lending of work to the public. U.K.

(1) The rental or lending of copies of the work to the public is an act restricted by the copyright in—

(a) a literary, dramatic or musical work,

(b) an artistic work, other than—

(i) a work of architecture in the form of a building or a model for a building, or

(ii) a work of applied art, or

(c) a film or a sound recording.

(2) In this Part, subject to the following provisions of this section—

(a) “rental” means making a copy of the work available for use, on terms that it will or may be returned, for direct or indirect economic or commercial advantage, and

(b) “lending” means making a copy of the work available for use, on terms that it will or may be returned, otherwise than for direct or indirect economic or commercial advantage, through an establishment which is accessible to the public.

(3) The expressions “rental” and “lending” do not include—

(a) making available for the purpose of public performance, playing or showing in public [F7 or communication to the public];

(b) making available for the purpose of exhibition in public; or

(c) making available for on-the-spot reference use.

(4) The expression “lending” does not include making available between establishments which are accessible to the public.

(5) Where lending by an establishment accessible to the public gives rise to a payment the amount of which does not go beyond what is necessary to cover the operating costs of the establishment, there is no direct or indirect economic or commercial advantage for the purposes of this section.

(6) References in this Part to the rental or lending of copies of a work include the rental or lending of the original.]

Textual Amendments

F6 S. 18A inserted (1.12.1996) by S.I. 1996/2967, reg. 10(2) (with Pt. III)

F7 Words in s. 18A(3)(a) substituted by The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2498), reg. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 6(2)(a) (with regs. 31-40)

19 Infringement by performance, showing or playing of work in public. U.K.

(1) The performance of the work in public is an act restricted by the copyright in a literary, dramatic or musical work.

(2) In this Part “performance”, in relation to a work—

(a) includes delivery in the case of lectures, addresses, speeches and sermons, and

(b) in general, includes any mode of visual or acoustic presentation, including presentation by means of a sound recording, film [F8 or broadcast] of the work.

(3) The playing or showing of the work in public is an act restricted by the copyright in a sound recording, film [F8 or broadcast].

(4) Where copyright in a work is infringed by its being performed, played or shown in public by means of apparatus for receiving visual images or sounds conveyed by electronic means, the person by whom the visual images or sounds are sent, and in the case of a performance the performers, shall not be regarded as responsible for the infringement.

Textual Amendments

F8 Words in s. 19(2)(b)(3) substituted (31.10.2003) by The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2498), reg. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 3(1)(b)(c) (with regs. 31-40)

[F9 20 Infringement by communication to the public U.K.

(1) The communication to the public of the work is an act restricted by the copyright in—

(a) a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work,

(b) a sound recording or film, or

(c) a broadcast.

(2) References in this Part to communication to the public are to communication to the public by electronic transmission, and in relation to a work include—

(a) the broadcasting of the work;

(b) the making available to the public of the work by electronic transmission in such a way that members of the public may access it from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.]

Textual Amendments

F9 S. 20 substituted (31.10.2003) by The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2498), reg. 6(1) (with regs. 31-40)

21 Infringement by making adaptation or act done in relation to adaptation. U.K.

(1) The making of an adaptation of the work is an act restricted by the copyright in a literary, dramatic or musical work.

For this purpose an adaptation is made when it is recorded, in writing or otherwise.

(2) The doing of any of the acts specified in sections 17 to 20, or subsection (1) above, in relation to an adaptation of the work is also an act restricted by the copyright in a literary, dramatic or musical work.

For this purpose it is immaterial whether the adaptation has been recorded, in writing or otherwise, at the time the act is done.

(3) In this Part “adaptation”—

(a) in relation to a literary [F10 work, [F11 other than a computer program or a database, or in relation to a]] dramatic work, means—

(i) a translation of the work;

(ii) a version of a dramatic work in which it is converted into a non-dramatic work or, as the case may be, of a non-dramatic work in which it is converted into a dramatic work;

(iii) a version of the work in which the story or action is conveyed wholly or mainly by means of pictures in a form suitable for reproduction in a book, or in a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical;

[F12 (ab) in relation to a computer program, means an arrangement or altered version of the program or a translation of it;]

[F13 (ac) in relation to a database, means an arrangement or altered version of the database or a translation of it;]

(b) in relation to a musical work, means an arrangement or transcription of the work.

(4) In relation to a computer program a “translation” includes a version of the program in which it is converted into or out of a computer language or code or into a different computer language or code F14 . . .

(5) No inference shall be drawn from this section as to what does or does not amount to copying a work.

Textual Amendments

F10 Words in s. 21(3)(a) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/3233, reg. 5(1)

F11 Words in s. 21(3)(a) substituted (1.1.1998) by S.I. 1997/3032, reg. 7(a) (with Pt. IV)

F12 S. 21(3)(ab) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/3233, reg. 5(2)

F13 S. 21(3)(ac) inserted (1.1.1998) by S.I. 1997/3032, reg. 7(b) (with Pt. IV)

F14 Words in s. 21(4) omitted (1.1.1993) by virtue of S.I. 1992/3233, reg. 5(3)