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What are the legal implications of copyright infringement in the UK?
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In the UK, copyright infringement is a criminal offence. Under the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the copyright holder has the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute and adapt their work. If a person breaks this law by copying or distributing someone else's work without permission, they could face criminal charges and prosecution. This can include fines and/or imprisonment. Copyright infringement also gives rise to a claim for damages or a claim for an account of profits from the wrongdoer, as can be seen from the case of Lucasfilm Ltd v Ainsworth [2011] UKSC 39.