Copyright – the Basics
With the explosion of content available on the internet and in print, wide use of social media and ease of dissemination, it’s more important than ever to know who has the rights to content and who can exploit it. Publishing is all about intellectual property, and who owns it.
Copyright – the Basics gives an overview of how copyright works within the publishing industry. The focus is on UK law, with a brief review of how it operates on a European and international level.
This half-day course covers ownership of print and digital copyright – what rights copyright provides, how rights may be licensed, what you can do with other people’s copyright-protected work, and current issues. There will be time for discussion and questions during the course. Course content is regularly updated to keep pace with changing laws and uses real-life cases and examples.
The course is ideal for anyone who works with copyright in their role, or is interested in the topic. It will increase your understanding of, and confidence in discussing, copyright issues. With legal fees often costing £300 per hour or more, it represents excellent value for money.
Who is it for?
Anyone who is involved in the creation and publication of copyright material and use of services and content online.
- Editorial assistant or Editor
- Marketing assistant, executive or manager
- Publicity assistant, executive or manager
- Rights assistant, executive or manager
- Social-media assistant, executive or manager
- Website assistant, editor, executive or manager
What will you achieve?
On completing this course you’ll be able to:
- Understand how rights in content are created and owned
- Understand how ownership of work can be protected
- Secure the rights needed for particular exploitation
- Understand the relevance and importance of certain contractual clauses
- Understand when permission is needed for use of material
- Understand when consent is needed for use of personal data
Programme
- What copyright protects - regulations, economic and moral rights, originality
- Ownership of copyright - law, length
- Copyright licences - Crown copyright, Creative Commons, contractual
- Infringements - and how to remedy them
- Non-infringements - exceptions, fair dealing, fair use
- Current situation - personal data, online, social media, Brexit
What is included?
Certificate
Upon successfully completing the course you will receive a completion certificate from PTC.
Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) points
Completing this course is worth 2 non-core points towards upgrading your CIEP membership.
Delegate feedback
“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. It was extremely engaging and I’ve gained a much clearer understanding of the subject.” Harriman House delegate (in-company training)
“This course expanded my understanding of clearing text permissions for educational publishing. It was beneficial that the tutor kindly offered us another half hour to ask questions.” Editorial Project Co-ordinator, Hachette UK
“A very enjoyable course and expertly delivered. I have a better understanding of how to challenge clients’ views on rights in the area we work in.” News Licensing delegate
“An excellent course which has given me a broader understanding of the basics of copyright, particularly how complex each situation can be." Witherby Publishing Group delegate
“Leslie was engaging and knowledgeable. We learned a lot, but it wasn't overwhelming. I have a more thorough understanding of the basics of copyright law and now feel confident about what I need to look for, and where, if I encounter a potential copyright issue. It's also helpful to have the slides for future reference.” SQA delegate
“The course was excellent – Leslie was an expert, a fantastic presenter! So much information, a good balance of information, questions and interactivity. Really liked the summary of key points. I’ve gained a basic understanding of current copyright issues and the confidence to advise people.” Harriman House Publishers delegate
“I loved the course! The trainer showed that copyright can be fascinating and fun, and the creative examples (like Darth Vader or the Eiffel Tower) really helped me to visualise complex concepts. The course was well-structured, with a good amount of 'pop quizzes' and 'breaks' to make the lessons more digestible. I now have a better understanding of copyright issues.” Mac Keith Press delegate
“I enjoyed the quizzes which made it more interactive, and the use of accessible user-friendly examples. I’ve learned about the need to be aware that copyright is an issue and to ask questions where I'm not sure – and the answer always depends!” Kapow Primary delegate
About the tutor
Leslie Lansman has a BA (UK), Juris Doctor (US) and Masters in Law (UK). She has almost 20 years' copyright experience in both the UK and US across business, legal and academic spheres. She began her career as an intellectual property (IP) lawyer in New York, returned to London to work in academia and copyright policy development. Her current role is managing copyright permissions for the publisher Springer Nature.
Leslie is also co-chair of the Copyright Committee of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP).
Dates
Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Date information for future sessions
October 2025
- Dates: 1 October
- Times: Each session will run from 9.00am to 12.30pm
December 2025
- Dates: 3 December
- Times: Each session will run from 9.00am to 12.30pm
Course format
- Virtual course
- 9am to 12.30pm
- Two x 1.5-hour sessions plus break
A number of discounts are available
What you will need
To join the course, you will need access to a computer, tablet or laptop with a camera and microphone. You will need to activate a free Zoom account to join the course. This takes two minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.