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Copyright Act 1956

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  1. Introductory Text

  2. PART I Copyright in Original Works

    1. 1.Nature of copyright under this Act

    2. 2.Copyright in literary, dramatic and musical works

    3. 3.Copyright in artistic works

    4. 4.Ownership of copyright in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works

    5. 5.Infringements by importation, sale and other dealings

    6. 6.General exceptions from protection of literary, dramatic and musical works

    7. 7.Special exceptions as respects libraries and archives

    8. 8.Special exception in respect of records of musical works

    9. 9.General exceptions from protection of artistic works

    10. 10.Special exception in respect of industrial designs

    11. 11.Provisions as to anonymous and pseudonymous works, and works of joint authorship

  3. PART II Copyright in Sound Recordings, Cinematograph Films, Broadcasts, etc.

    1. 12.Copyright in sound recordings

    2. 13.Copyright in cinematograph films

    3. 14.Copyright in television broadcasts and sound broadcasts

    4. 15.Copyright in published editions of works

    5. 16.Supplementary provisions for purposes of Part II

  4. PART III Remedies for Infringements of Copyright

    1. 17.Action by owner of copyright for infringement

    2. 18.Rights of owner of copyright in respect of infringing copies, etc.

    3. 19.Proceedings in case of copyright subject to exclusive licence

    4. 20.Proof of facts in copyright actions

    5. 21.Penalties and summary proceedings in respect of dealings which infringe copyright

    6. 22.Provision for restricting importation of printed copies

  5. PART IV Performing Right Tribunal

    1. 23.Establishment of tribunal

    2. 24.General provisions as to jurisdiction of tribunal

    3. 25.Reference of licence schemes to tribunal

    4. 26.Further reference of scheme to tribunal

    5. 27.Applications to tribunal

    6. 28.Exercise of jurisdiction of tribunal in relation to diffusion of foreign broadcasts

    7. 29.Effect of orders of tribunal, and supplementary provisions relating thereto

    8. 30.Reference of questions of law to the court

  6. PART V Extension or Restriction of Operation of Act

    1. 31.Extension of Act to Isle of Man, Channel Islands, colonies and dependencies

    2. 32.Application of Act to countries to which it does not extend

    3. 33.Provisions as to international organisations

    4. 34.Extended application of provisions relating to broadcasts

    5. 35.Denial of copyright to citizens of countries not giving: adequate protection to British works

  7. PART VI Miscellaneous and Supplementary Provisions

    1. 36.Assignments and licences in respect of copyright

    2. 37.Prospective ownership of copyright

    3. 38.Copyright to pass under will with unpublished work

    4. 39.Provisions as to Crown and Government departments

    5. 40.Broadcasts of sound recordings and cinematograph films, and diffusion of broadcast programmes

    6. 41.Use of copyright material for education

    7. 42.Special provisions as to public records

    8. 43.False attribution of authorship

    9. 44.Amendments of Registered Designs Act, 1949

    10. 45.Amendment of Dramatic and Musical Performers' Protection Act, 1925

    11. 46.Savings

    12. 47.General provisions as to Orders in Council, regulations, rules and orders, and as to Board of Trade

    13. 48.Interpretation

    14. 49.Supplementary provisions as to interpretation

    15. 50.Transitional provisions, and repeals

    16. 51.Short title, commencement and extent

  8. SCHEDULES

    1. FIRST SCHEDULE

      False Registration of Industrial Designs

      1. 1.The provisions of this Schedule shall have effect where—

      2. 2.For the purposes of those proceedings (but subject to the...

      3. 3.Notwithstanding anything in the last preceding paragraph, if in the...

      4. 4.In this Schedule “the Act of 1949” means the Registered...

    2. SECOND SCHEDULE

      Duration of Copyright in Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works

      1. 1.Where the first publication of a literary, dramatic, or musical...

      2. 2.The preceding paragraph shall not apply in the case of...

      3. 3.For the purposes of this Act a publication of a...

    3. THIRD SCHEDULE

      Works of Joint Authorship

      1. 1.In relation to a work of joint authorship, the references...

      2. 2.In relation to a work of joint authorship, other than...

      3. 3.(1) This paragraph applies to any work of joint authorship...

      4. 4.(1) In relation to a work of joint authorship of...

      5. 5.In the proviso to subsection (6) of section six of...

      6. 6.Subject to the preceding provisions of this Schedule, any reference...

    4. FOURTH SCHEDULE

      Provisions as to Performing Right Tribunal

      1. 1.(1) Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, the members...

      2. 2.If any member of the tribunal is, by reason of...

      3. 3.If at any time there are more than two members...

      4. 4.If the members of the tribunal dealing with any reference...

      5. 5.The tribunal may order that the costs or expenses of...

      6. 6.(1) The Lord Chancellor may make rules as to the...

      7. 7.As respects proceedings in Scotland, the tribunal shall have the...

      8. 8.Without prejudice to any method available by law for the...

    5. FIFTH SCHEDULE

      Appointment of Television Copyright Organisations by British Broadcasting Corporation and Independent Television Authority

      1. 1.In this Schedule— (a) references to a right to which...

      2. 2.The Corporation and the Authority may jointly appoint an organisation...

      3. 3.Subject to the last preceding paragraph, the Corporation or the...

      4. 4.A right to which this Schedule applies shall not be...

      5. 5.(1) Neither the Corporation nor the Authority shall authorise any...

      6. 6.The appointment, or the termination of the appointment, of an...

      7. 7.Where notice of the appointment of an organisation for the...

    6. SIXTH SCHEDULE

      Amendment of Dramatic and Musical Performers' Protection Act, 1925

      1. PART I New Sections 1A and 1B

      2. PART II New Sections 3A and 3B

      3. PART III Minor and Consequential Amendments

    7. SEVENTH SCHEDULE

      Transitional Provisions

      1. PART I Provisions relating to Part I of Act

        1. Conditions for subsistence of copyright

          1. 1.In the application of sections two and three to works...

        2. Duration of copyright

          1. 2.In relation to any photograph taken before the commencement of...

        3. Ownership of copyright

          1. 3.(1) Subsections (2) to (4) of section four shall not...

        4. Infringements of copyright

          1. 4.For the purposes of section five, the fact that, to...

          2. 5.Subsection (7) of section six does not apply to assignments...

          3. 6.(1) References in section eight to records previously made by,...

          4. 7.(1) In relation to a painting, drawing, engraving, photograph or...

          5. 8.(1) Section ten and the First Schedule to this Act...

          6. 9.(1) Where, before the repeal by this Act of section...

        5. Works of joint authorship

          1. 10.(1) Notwithstanding anything in section eleven, or in the Third...

      2. PART II Provisions relating to Part II of Act

        1. Sound recordings

          1. 11.In the case of a sound recording made before (the...

          2. 12.Subsection (6) of section twelve shall not apply to a...

          3. 13.Notwithstanding anything in section twelve, copyright shall not subsist by...

        2. Cinematograph films

          1. 14.Section thirteen shall not apply to cinematograph films made before...

          2. 15.Where a cinematograph film made before the commencement of section...

          3. 16.The provisions of this Act shall have effect in relation...

        3. Television broadcasts and sound broadcasts

          1. 17.Copyright shall not subsist by virtue of section fourteen in...

          2. 18.For the purposes of subsection (3) of section fourteen, a...

        4. Supplementary

          1. 19.For the purposes of subsections (2) to (4) of section...

      3. PART III Provisions relating to Part III of Act

        1. 20.Nothing in section seventeen shall apply to any infringement of...

        2. 21.Section eighteen shall not apply with respect to any article...

        3. 22.Section nineteen shall not apply to any licence granted before...

        4. 23.For the purposes of section twenty-one the definition of “infringing...

        5. 24.Where before the commencement of section twenty-two a notice had...

      4. PART IV Provisions relating to Part IV of Act

        1. 25.The provisions of Part IV of this Act shall apply...

        2. 26.In section twenty-seven, references to a refusal or failure to...

      5. PART V Provisions relating to Part V of Act

        1. 27.In section thirty-three, subsection (2) shall not apply to works...

      6. PART VI Provisions relating to Part VI of Act

        1. Assignments, licences and bequests

          1. 28.(1) Where by virtue of any provision of this Act...

          2. 29.(1) Section thirty-eight shall not apply to a bequest contained...

        2. Crown and Government departments

          1. 30.Subsection (4) of section thirty-nine shall apply in relation to...

          2. 31.(1) In the application of subsection (5) of section thirty-nine...

        3. False attribution of authorship

          1. 32.(1) Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (2) of section...

        4. Other provisions

          1. 33.(1) In the application of subsection (2) of section forty-nine...

      7. PART VII Works made before 1st July, 1912

        1. 34.(1) This Part of this Schedule applies to works made...

        2. 35.Notwithstanding anything in Part I of this Schedule, neither subsection...

        3. 36.(1) Where, in the case of a dramatic or musical...

        4. 37.Where a work to which this Part of this Schedule...

        5. 38.(1) Without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (1) of...

      8. PART VIII General and Supplementary Provisions

        1. 39.(1) The provisions of this paragraph shall have effect for...

        2. 40.(1) The provisions of the two next following sub-paragraphs shall...

        3. 41.In so far as the Act of 1911 or any...

        4. 42.The mention of any particular matter in the preceding provisions...

        5. 43.For the purposes of the application, by virtue of any...

        6. 44.Without prejudice to the operation of any of the preceding...

        7. 45.(1) Except in so far as it is otherwise expressly...

        8. 46.(1) Any reference in this Schedule to a numbered section...

        9. 47.(1) In this Schedule “photograph ” has the meaning assigned...

    8. EIGHTH SCHEDULE

      Provisions of Copyright Act, 1911, and Rules, referred to in Seventh Schedule

      1. 1.Proviso to s. 5 (1) of the Copyright Act, 1911...

      2. 2.Rule 2 of the Copyright (Industrial Designs) Rules, 1949 (referred...

      3. 3.Proviso to s. 3 of the Copyright Act, 1911 (referred...

      4. 4.S. 16 (1) of the Copyright Act, 1911 (referred to...

      5. 5.S. 17 (1) of Copyright Act, 1911 (referred to in...

      6. 6.Proviso to s. 5 (2) of the Copyright Act, 1911...

      7. 7.S. 17 (2) of the Copyright Act, 1911 (referred to...

      8. 8.Note to First Schedule to the Copyright Act, 1911 (referred...

      9. 9.Definitions in s. 35 (1) of the Copyright Act, 1911...

    9. NINTH SCHEDULE

      Enactments Repealed

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