How to Copyright a Song in the UK

If you have written a song and want it protected, the short answer in the UK is that it already is. What you need next is not a form to file but a clear picture of what you own, a record you can produce if anyone asks, and a plan for if someone copies the work. This guide covers all three, UK first, with a short note on other countries.

It was researched and edited by the WBBT team from the official and industry sources listed at the end, all opened on 26 October 2026. It is plain explanation, not legal advice. Where a real dispute or a signature is involved, the right person is a solicitor who works with music or intellectual property.

Copyright in the UK is automatic

GOV.UK says you get copyright protection automatically when you create an original musical work, and also when you make a sound recording. You do not apply and you do not pay a fee. The Music Copyright Explained guide, which the UK Intellectual Property Office commissioned, puts it simply: write an original song and you create a song copyright, record a track and you create a recording copyright. The work only has to be fixed, meaning written down or recorded.

Copyright lets you control what others do with the work. GOV.UK lists the main acts: copying it, distributing copies, renting or lending it, performing or playing it in public, adapting it and putting it on the internet. Anyone who wants to do those things needs your permission, which is usually what a licence is. GOV.UK gives the usual term for a musical work as 70 years after the author’s death and for a sound recording as 70 years from first publication, and notes that older works can follow older rules.

You can mark a work with ©, your name and the year. GOV.UK says that marking it does not change your protection, so it is a courtesy and not a requirement.

There is no official UK register

GOV.UK states that there is not a register of copyright works in the UK. That means no government office will hold your song and issue a certificate of ownership. Be careful with websites that offer to “register your copyright” for a fee. WIPO warns that some entities pose as official bodies and sell copyright registration services, and says that registering with these unofficial entities gives no copyright protection or international recognition. It advises checking who you are paying and consulting a legal representative if unsure.

“Registration” also has a genuine second meaning in music. Music Copyright Explained says the UK industry’s main song database is managed by PRS and its main recordings database by PPL, and PRS says registering a work with it is different from copyright itself. Those registrations do not create your rights. They tell the industry who to pay.

Two copyrights: the song and the recording

Every released track carries two separate copyrights. The composition, also called the song or publishing right, covers the music and lyrics. The recording, also called the master, covers one captured performance. Different people can own each. Music Copyright Explained gives the default rules: the first owner of a song is whoever writes it, and the first owner of a recording is whoever organises or pays for the recording session. If more than one person writes the song or organises the recording, they co-own the result.

• Collaborators. Agree who owns what and what share each person gets, then write it down. A one-page split sheet is enough, and even an exchange of emails is better than nothing, according to that guide.
• Freelancers. The same guide notes that the employer rule applies only to formal employees, and that a freelancer is the default first owner of what they create unless a written contract says otherwise. Document what each contributor did.
• Transfers. GOV.UK says that selling or transferring copyright needs a written, signed document. A chat message that says “the song is yours” is a weak basis.
• Performers. GOV.UK adds that performers have rights in their performances that are separate from copyright, even where the copyright is sold.

Our music rights checklist follows these rights through a whole release, and the guide to royalty splits and payouts shows how an agreed split is applied to money.

How to keep dated evidence

Because nothing is registered, the question “who wrote this, and when?” is answered by whatever you can show. We found no UK official page that tells creators how to evidence authorship, so this section is practical advice and not a legal rule. PRS suggests two routes. One is a physical copy that is sealed, clearly dated and kept safely, for example posted to yourself by tracked delivery or stored with a bank. The other is a digital copy, such as one you email yourself, or video of you composing, whose timestamp shows when it existed.

Treat those as supporting evidence, not proof of ownership. A date shows when a copy existed, not who made it, and the US Copyright Office says mailing yourself a copy gives no legal protection in the US. How much any piece of evidence counts is for a court. The sturdier approach is layers that agree with each other:

1. Keep the originals. Save the project file, the raw takes, the voice memo of the first idea and the lyric drafts, with their creation dates intact.
2. Keep the trail. Collaborators’ emails and messages, session bookings and anything that shows who did what.
3. Write the agreements. Split sheets and any licence or assignment, signed and dated.
4. Export dated copies. Save each major version to cloud storage or a drive and keep a short log of file names and dates.
5. Register with the societies. A PRS work registration and a PPL recording registration create dated records in industry databases, which are useful corroboration.

PRS, MCPS and PPL in one paragraph each

PRS for Music is the UK society for the song. PRS says that when you join it you exclusively assign it your performing right, and that its licences cover public performance, including live concerts, radio, television and streaming services. Its sister society MCPS manages the right to copy and distribute the song, such as in downloads. You register each work so that the society knows the writers and their shares. If you are not working with a publisher, Music Copyright Explained says you would usually join both.

PPL is the UK society for the recording. PPL says it manages the rights in recorded music for playing it in public, broadcasting it on radio and television, and some online uses such as internet radio, and that it does not manage on-demand streaming of specific tracks. It pays two groups: the owners of the recording copyright, and the performers on the recording. Our guide to PPL and neighbouring rights explains how WBBT’s optional PPL UK service works per release, and the PPL service page describes it. Distribution on its own does not register your recordings with PPL, and your plan decides whether the service is included.

If someone copies your song

GOV.UK is blunt that you are responsible for defending your own copyright. Its suggested order is to ask the other party to stop or agree a licence, then try mediation or another form of dispute resolution, and then go to court if that fails.

1. Check that it is copying. Section 16 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes it an infringement to do a restricted act, such as copying, without the owner’s licence, in relation to the work as a whole or any substantial part of it. A similar sound is not enough. Also check whether they have a licence from you, or whether a narrow legal exception applies, which GOV.UK says to do before trying to stop anyone.
2. Record what you found. Save the links, take dated screenshots and note where it appears, and keep it with your own evidence file.
3. Use the platform route when it is your recording. Spotify’s copyright policy says rights owners can send a notice, and it may then remove content or block it in some countries. YouTube’s removal request asks for a clear description of the work, links to each item and formal statements made in good faith and under penalty of perjury, and says false information can have consequences. Treat these as legal declarations, not casual reports.
4. Contact the other person calmly. A short, factual message that identifies your work, shows where theirs appears and asks them to remove it or agree terms solves many cases. Avoid threats and public accusations.
5. Consider mediation. GOV.UK says the IPO mediation service covers copyright disputes, is voluntary, so the other side must agree, and is confidential. Fees are charged per party and depend on the length of the session and whether it is online or in person.
6. Know the court route. GOV.UK says copyright infringement claims go to the courts, and that the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court has a small claims track for copyright claims under 10,000 pounds, which does not require a lawyer. Larger claims go to higher courts, where a solicitor is worth paying for.

Get a lawyer before you take a formal step, and straight away if you receive a legal letter, if the copying is commercial or large, if someone says that you copied them, or if a label or publisher is involved. The IPO Customer Support Centre can give general guidance on copyright law, and GOV.UK says a solicitor or other IP professional can advise on a particular case.

Other countries differ

Copyright systems around the world are joined by treaties such as the Berne Convention, so a UK work is usually protected abroad, but the exact controls and terms vary. GOV.UK notes that in most countries the minimum term for written, dramatic and artistic works is life plus 50 years, and WIPO says that many countries run voluntary registration systems that can help settle ownership disputes. The United States is the main example. Music Copyright Explained says UK music-makers have basic protection there by default, but registration with the US Copyright Office becomes important if you ever enforce through American courts, and the Copyright Office says a US work must be registered before suing. If you expect to enforce abroad, ask a local lawyer how that country works.

A worked example, with invented details

Example Sound writes a song called “Paper Boats” with a co-writer and records it with a hired producer. Nothing here is a real song or a real dispute.

When	What Example Sound keeps	Why
Writing	Voice memo of the hook, dated lyric drafts, the first project file	Shows how the song developed and who contributed
Before recording	A signed split sheet for the song and an agreement with the producer on who owns the recording	Fixes song and recording ownership in writing
After recording	The final session, the mixes, the dated exports and a short version log	Original files with a clear history
Before release	PRS work registration with both writers’ shares, and PPL registration for the recording where eligible	Dated records in the industry databases

Some months later Example Sound finds a video that uses the recording as its backing track with no licence. The steps follow the order above: save the links and screenshots, confirm that the audio is the recording and not a lookalike, file a removal request on the platform that hosts it, send a short factual message to the uploader and keep everything together. If the uploader replies with a lawyer’s letter, Example Sound stops there and asks a solicitor for advice.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register my song to be protected in the UK?

No. GOV.UK says copyright arises automatically when you create the work, with no application or fee, and that there is no register of copyright works in the UK. Registering with PRS or PPL is a different thing: it logs your works with a society so that it can collect money for you.

Do I need the © symbol?

No. GOV.UK says you can mark a work with ©, your name and the year of creation, and that marking it or not does not change the level of protection. It is still a useful signal to others about who to ask.

Does posting a copy to myself prove I wrote the song?

Not on its own. PRS lists a sealed, dated copy as one way to show when you created a work, but a date shows when a copy existed, not who made it. The US Copyright Office says the practice gives no legal protection in the US. Use it only as one piece of a wider record.

Does releasing through a distributor change who owns my song?

Distribution does not by itself transfer ownership of a recording or a song. What you grant is set out in the distribution agreement and in any separate collection option you switch on, so read both before you accept them.

Another track sounds like mine. Can I claim?

Resemblance alone is not copying. UK law asks whether the work, or a substantial part of it, was copied without your licence. Whether a part is substantial, and whether anyone copied at all, is a question for a lawyer or a court, so gather your evidence and take advice before you accuse anyone.

Sources and next steps

Laws and society rules change, so check the current wording before you rely on a point.

• How copyright protects your work, GOV.UK, including its sections on how long copyright lasts, licensing and selling, and stopping people using your work (accessed 26 October 2026).
• Defend your intellectual property and Take legal action, GOV.UK (accessed 26 October 2026). The IPO mediation service is described on GOV.UK, last updated 20 May 2026 (accessed 26 October 2026).
• Copyright ownership, tips for music-makers and copyright around the world, Music Copyright Explained, commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (accessed 26 October 2026).
• How copyright works, PRS for Music (accessed 26 October 2026).
• The rights PPL can collect for, PPL (accessed 26 October 2026).
• Copyright, WIPO (accessed 26 October 2026).
• Copyright FAQ and What Musicians Should Know about Copyright, US Copyright Office (accessed 26 October 2026).
• Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 16, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 26 October 2026).
• Submit a copyright removal request, YouTube Help, and Spotify copyright policy (accessed 26 October 2026).

To go further, read Music Rights Checklist Before You Release, then how ISRC and UPC codes work for the identifiers that tie a recording to its registrations. The FAQ answers rights questions, the pricing page shows which plans include PPL collection, and when you are ready you can submit your release.