I am Azeemi Ali. By profession I am a Journalist, writer and researcher. Now a days, I am working on a topic about the physical injury effects on children. Recent study shows that almost 4000 children suffer from Amusement park injuries in a year. Can anyone tell me that what is the legal authority in the UK about the child Physical injury in an amusement park?

I'm pretty sure in the US you can't -- but in the UK the situation is less clear.

I am being chased for royalties from the "owners" of the Teeline shorthand alphabet because I run a website that teaches Teeline through video tutorials and support materials (even though I now offer the site for free and exist as a small charity accepting donations through the website in a vain attempt to cover costs)...

So far I've spent about £100 and, over three months, taken £10. I offered him royalties as a percentage of any monies earned over and above costs (unlikely); and he said I don't get to dictate terms, and he wants a percentage of total revenue. He has no interest in my costs. So, for the time being, I've told him to shove it and get solicitors involved if he wants me to sign any agreement.

I'm struggling to see what a solicitor's argument would be regarding ownership - here are mine...

This is taken from the Intellectual Property Office website...

What is protected by copyright?
Copyright gives rights to the creators of the following kinds of material or "works":

Original literary works - for example, novels, newspaper articles, lyrics for songs, and instruction manuals. Computer programs are also a form of literary work protected by copyright, as are some types of databases;
Original dramatic works, including works of dance or mime;
Original musical works;
Original artistic works - for example, paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, photographs, diagrams, maps, works of architecture and works of artistic craftsmanship;
Published editions of literary, dramatic or musical works. Protection in this case is of the typographical arrangement of the edition;
Sound recordings, in any form (e.g. tape or compact disc) - they can be recordings of other copyright works, such as music or literature,or other sounds;
Films, including videos and digital versatile discs (DVDs);
Broadcasts, which may be transmitted by cable or wireless means and including satellite broadcasts, but excluding most transmissions on the internet.
Copyright does not protect ideas, names or titles, or functional or industrial articles.

The nearest example in this list covering the Teeline alphabet would be “ideas” which are not protected. It is not, in my view, a literary work – that would be the book that first suggested the system... and any reproduction of that book is protected by copyright... but not, I feel at the moment, the actual system itself.

Also there is a question mark over the system being original (a condition of copyright ownership) when much of it was either copied from or inspired by the existing alphabet. (Also didn’t it take some ideas from Pitman also?)

Again from the IPO site...

What is an original copyright work?

A work can only be original if it is the result of independent creative effort. It will not be original if it has been copied from something that already exists. If it is similar to something that already exists but there has been no copying from the existing work either directly or indirectly, then it may be original.

I would argue that there has been SOME copying from the “existing work” (if, indeed, any alphabet exists as a “work”) as some of the letters are identical to the existing alphabet and nearly all of them bear some relation (often they are merely a REDUCTION of the original).

The nearest example of something similar governed by copyright in the UK - that I could find - is a typeface. The Copyright, designs, and patents act 1988 refers to copyrights in typeface designs.[2] English law does consider that fonts are subject to copyright. However this only covers typefaces for 25 years from first publication, and does not cover their usage by typographers.[2] (The Teeline alphabet was first published in 1968 so it would be out of copyright if the same rules apply...)

Assuming one believes Teeline outlines to be covered by copyright for 70 years from the death of their inventor (James Hill in 1971), then I’m supposing one considers them to be a literary “work” rather than something more akin to a typeface.

Anybody have any cases, precedents or passages from law that support this view?

Or indeed any views?

Paul.