Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) covers intangible assets: things that have value but cannot be physically touched. A folder of original drawings on a laptop has no physical form, yet it can be worth money, so the law treats it as property belonging to the person who created it.

IP law protects different kinds of work. Creative works are things like artwork, music, video and writing. Brand assets are the signs that tell customers where a product or service comes from, such as a company name or logo. Inventions are new products or processes that solve a problem in a way nobody has before. Three main types of protection cover them.

The three main types

Why IP legislation exists

IP legislation gives creators control over how their material is used. Without it, anyone could take a photographer's picture or a band's recording and sell it, and the person who did the work would get nothing. The law helps prevent copying without permission, so the creator decides who can use the work and on what terms.

It also lets creators be rewarded for their creative effort. Because the work belongs to them, they can agree a fee or a licence, and that income lets them carry on making new things. Brands gain too: a trademark stops a rival cashing in on a name someone else built up.

What this means for media producers

A media producer must follow current IP law whenever they use someone else's work, including photographs, music, footage, logos and designs in a magazine, game, website or video. Finding out who owns an asset and getting the owner's agreement is part of planning a product, because using protected material without it can lead to legal and financial consequences.