Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

9 Authorship of work. U.K.

(1) In this Part “author”, in relation to a work, means the person who creates it.

(2) That person shall be taken to be—

F1 [F1 ( aa ) in the case of a sound recording, the producer;

F1 ( ab ) in the case of a film, the producer and the principal director;]

(b) in the case of a broadcast, the person making the broadcast (see section 6(3)) or, in the case of a broadcast which relays another broadcast by reception and immediate re-transmission, the person making that other broadcast;

(c) F2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(d) in the case of the typographical arrangement of a published edition, the publisher.

(3) In the case of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work which is computer-generated, the author shall be taken to be the person by whom the arrangements necessary for the creation of the work are undertaken.

(4) For the purposes of this Part a work is of “unknown authorship” if the identity of the author is unknown or, in the case of a work of joint authorship, if the identity of none of the authors is known.

(5) For the purposes of this Part the identity of an author shall be regarded as unknown if it is not possible for a person to ascertain his identity by reasonable inquiry; but if his identity is once known it shall not subsequently be regarded as unknown.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 9(2)(aa)(ab) substituted for s. 9(2)(a) (1.12.1996 with effect in relation to films made on or after 1.7.1994) by S.I. 1996/2967, regs. 18(1), 36

F2 S. 9(2)(c) repealed (31.10.2003) by The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2498), regs. 2(2), 5(4), Sch. 2 (with regs. 31-40)