Die steigende Anzahl von Verletzungen des geistigen Eigentums (Intellectual Property Infrigments, IPI) in Großbritannien ist auf die steigende Anzahl von Rechtsverletzungen zurückzuführen, die jedes Jahr begangen werden. In den letzten zwölf Monaten wurden schätzungsweise zweihunderttausend Urheberrechtsverletzungen registriert. Davon wurden etwa sechzig Prozent von Personen begangen, die das betreffende geistige Eigentum nicht besaßen, so dass die Kosten für die Inhaber des geistigen Eigentums in Form von Schäden deutlich geringer ausfallen werden.
Copyright’s infringement is a form of Intellectual Property Infringement, which is an act that is done without a valid copyright in order to achieve a profit through a form of theft. It is illegal to copy an author’s written words or ideas without having obtained her or his permission. In addition, copyright infringement is illegal in the United Kingdom for any purpose whatsoever. The UK Intellectual Property Office also has a website that contains detailed information about all copyright infringement acts and offences.
Copyright infringements are a serious criminal offence that can have severe consequences for those involved. Any infringement, even if it is unintentional, can lead to a person being charged with an offence and has to pay a fine, has his/her name published on the public Register of Copyrights, or both. The penalties also include a possible jail sentence. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. If it can be proven that the infringement was done “for financial gain”, then that person may only be prosecuted in case the infringement is worth more than three hundred dollars or is in the course of any commercial activity.
