Copyright is the main form of IP right in software and computer programs. "Computer programs" are included in the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as original literary work capable of copyright. The benefit of copyright protection is that the owner can make a damages claim against or injunct any third party who has copied the computer programming.
Copyright can also exist in the preparatory design material for computer programs - for instance, flowcharts, graphs and functional or technical specifications, which were created as part of the evolution process in developing a computer program.