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Crown Copyright & Licensing

About Copyright

Infringement of Copyright

“Infringement” is the legal word for breach or violation of the rules in the copyright law. There are two kinds of infringements: “direct” and “indirect.”

“Indirect” infringement refers to persons who deal with infringing copies, or who, without legal authority, permit a public performance of a work. These provisions usually concern commercial dealings through sales of copies, commercial distribution, and trade.

“Direct” infringement is where someone, without permission, does something only the copyright owner has the right to do or authorize. For example, only the copyright owner has the right to make a copy or authorize the making of a copy. When a person makes a copy this is direct infringement unless permission is obtained or an exception applies.