UK Copyright Law Self‑Study

I completed a comprehensive, self‑directed study of UK Copyright Fundamentals, designed to give a working musician a deep understanding of the legal framework that protects creative works. The module was structured as a 12‑week, day‑by‑day curriculum, combining legal research, practical exercises, and reflective writing.

What I Covered

• Week 1 – The purpose and structure of UK copyright law (CDPA 1988)
• Week 2 – Subject matter: what types of musical works are protected
• Week 3 – Originality: the UK standard (skill, labour, judgment) vs EU standard
• Week 4 – Fixation: the recording requirement and digital‑age implications
• Week 5 – Authorship & first ownership (employee, freelance, commissioned works)
• Week 6 – Joint works and co‑authorship (Lennon‑McCartney analysis, collaboration agreements)
• Week 7 – Duration of copyright (musical works, sound recordings, performers' rights)
• Week 8 – Public domain: when works become free to use
• Week 9 – Moral rights (paternity, integrity, false attribution, waiver)
• Week 10 – Performers' rights (property and non‑property rights, Noel Redding case)
• Week 11 – Collecting societies (PRS, PPL, MCPS, royalty flows, Rowntree case)
• Week 12 – Capstone: multi‑layer copyright analysis of a real‑world scenario

Skills Demonstrated

M5‑Powered Methodology

I designed a fully digital study system using only the apps that came with my Mac (Freeform, Notes, Numbers, GarageBand) and the local AI tool Ollama. Every session had a specific “M5 Workflow” that leveraged the M5’s Neural Engine, GPU, and unified memory to create, organise, and recall information instantly — no internet required.

The result: a searchable, multimedia knowledge base of UK music copyright law, including mind maps, flowcharts, spreadsheets, audio transcriptions, and written assignments, all synced via iCloud.

Key Deliverables

• 12 weekly mind maps in Freeform
• Over 5,000 words of written summaries and essays
• Comparative tables and royalty flow diagrams in Numbers
• A full 1,500‑word capstone paper analysing a complex music copyright scenario
• A searchable repository of case briefs and statutory provisions

This project reflects my ability to design and execute a rigorous, self‑guided learning path and to leverage technology to deepen understanding — skills directly transferable to academic study, legal practice, and creative industries.