The Government has amended UK copyright infringement laws in a bid to increase the protection of art in the UK to match standards seen elsewhere in Europe.
The revised laws will better protect ‘industrially exploited’ artistic works within the UK, including paintings, sketches, photographs and graphic designs.
One key change the Government has agreed upon is an extension of the period of protection available for artistic works which an intellectual property owner has sold more than 50 copies of – from 25 years to 70 years and more.
However, the Government is also seeking to crack down on manufacturers of replica goods and designers of previously legal, yet similar, reproduced artworks – which could now both be considered copyright infringement under the new reforms.
The new laws, which see amendments to Section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) – a sub-section of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, will take hold from 28 July 2016.
Businesses, artists, graphic designers and replica good manufacturers are strongly urged to seek specialist advice to avoid running the risk of breaching copyright infringement laws and facing potential legal action.