What is copyright?
Copyright enables composers and authors to be paid for their work. Copyright is the means by which those who make and own creative works (e.g. music and literature) can control who makes use of their work and the circumstances in which it is used, to ensure that the integrity and value of the work is respected.
Copyright legislation has evolved over the last 500 years to provide a balance between the interests of those who invest skills and intellectual effort, time and money in the creation of works on the one hand and those who want to use and enjoy those works on the other.
The current UK copyright legislation is to be found principally in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.