A short guide to copyright on British IP Day

Picture of Martin Reed

Martin Reed

Martin was the SoA's Head of Communications from 2016 to 2024.
To mark British IP Day, we are publishing this fantastic short guide to copyright, created by comics artists Woodrow Phoenix and Hannah Berry.

British IP Day is an annual celebration of the cultural and economic contribution of intellectual property to the UK. It provides an opportunity for legislators, authors and publishing professionals to shine the spotlight on an important area underpinning creators’ rights.

Intellectual property gives authors rights which enable them to monetise their work, allowing them to negotiate the terms and conditions of its use and to object to unauthorised use of their work or name. Piracy, rights grabs and poor education on copyright, together with proposed legislation, all threaten these essential conditions. For more, visit our Where We Stand page on Copyright, or our C.R.E.A.T.O.R campaign addressing unfair terms of individual contracts. A campaign that seeks to address unfair remuneration for creators is Pay The Creator, spearheaded by Creators’ Rights Alliance.

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18 March 2026

The Society of Authors welcomes a “hard-won moment for authors and creators”, as the government confirmed it is moving away from a proposed copyright exception for AI training.  

10 March 2026

Around 10,000 authors have come together to publish an empty book protesting against the theft of books by tech companies to train AI models.

6 March 2026

The proposals prioritise a licensing‑first model for AI training, backed by a clear Government statement and stronger transparency requirements.