IPconnect, the monthly magazine of the UK's Intellectual Property Office, tries hard to make IP seem vital, important. relevant and accessible despite the presumably mandatory inclusion of some content that is arguably of more interest to those who publish it than to its readers. Be that as it may, the January 2015 issue (here) features the following item that should be of interest to readers of this blog:
Copyright
Understanding copyright issues
Have you ever wondered about the effect of transferring your copyright to other people as part of a contract? [this blogger has been surprised at how often he has not been asked to transfer copyright, in circumstances in which, had he been the commissioning party, he would have insisted on it] Perhaps you have been asked to sign over your child’s copyright and are unsure of the consequences? [a topic all too rarely addressed] The IPO’s latest Copyright Notice explains assignment of copyright and was published at the end of last year.
The first Copyright Notice was published in March 2014 on digital images, photographs and the internet – a simple overview of some of the issues affecting people who use images online. Both the Copyright Notices published by the IPO are intended to provide general guidance to individuals and small businesses, schools and other educational institutions, amongst others.
Maybe there is another issue within copyright law where you cannot find the answer and would like to have it explained. You can request a Notice using a short online form which you can complete in a matter of minutes [this is a really good idea, matching up what the IPO is happy to give guidance on with what people want to know]. We assess all requests which come in, although not all are best answered through a Notice. More information about our criteria for publication is available on the website.
Watch out for more interesting Copyright Notices [no blog editor would let this go without comment: does "more interesting Copyright Notices" mean "more Copyright Notices that are interesting" or " Copyright Notices that are less boring"?] in the next couple of months!
We shall be watching for all those less boring Copyright Notices ...
