COPYRIGHT IN TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

Copyright is a legal right which comes into being by virtue of making a work in which copyright subsists. This can include literary text, artistic works, computer programs and technical drawings. There is no official system for registering copyright.

The copyright in an original technical drawing may be infringed by making an unauthorised two-dimensional or three-dimensional reproduction of a substantial part of the drawing. It is, however, not an infringement of copyright to reproduce in three dimensions a functional commercially available three-dimensional object.

The interrelationship between registered designs and copyright in technical drawings is very complex and requires expert advice.

Further Information

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