Section 57

Copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is not infringed by an act done at a time when, or in pursuance of arrangements made at a time when— it is not possible by reasonable inquiry to ascertain the identity of the author, and it is reasonable to assume— that copyright has expired, or that the author died 70 years or more before the beginning of the calendar year in which the act is done or the arrangements are made. Subsection (1)(b)(ii) does not apply in relation to— a work in which Crown copyright subsists, or a work in which copyright originally vested in an international organisation by virtue of section 168 and in respect of which an Order under that section specifies a copyright period longer than 70 years. In relation to a work of joint authorship— the reference in subsection (1) to its being possible to ascertain the identity of the author shall be construed as a reference to its being possible to ascertain the identity of any of the authors, and the reference in subsection (1)(b)(ii) to the author having died shall be construed as a reference to all the authors having died.

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Source: legislation.gov.uk · retrieved 2026-09-04