Copyright is the legal protection for authors or creators against the unauthorised copying of their work and is based on 'The Copyright Act 1968' (as amended). Most expressions of creative intellectual endeavour are automatically protected by copyright.

The copyright symbol is not required, but is often used to help remind people that the work is protected (for example © V-M Group 2006).

Copyright protects a variety of material, including:

• literary works e.g. texts, reports, journal articles, software, computer programs
• dramatic works, artistic works, musical works, films, sound recordings, broadcasts