Patent lawyers are warning that research companies in Oxfordshire could be hit by a change in copyright law.

Marks & Clerk, which has an office at Oxford Business Park, Cowley, said that from March companies would have to pay licence fees to photocopy materials for research.

Under existing law, a single copy of a journal article for private study and research does not attract a fee, even for commercial research.

Robert Lind, partner at Marks & Clerk in Oxford, said: "This change will add thousands of pounds to the research and development budgets for the many companies across the UK that rely on libraries to provide their journal articles rather than taking out subscriptions.

"Even those who subscribe to a publication will be obliged to pay further royalties should they wish to make copies for most research purposes.

"The EU has already strengthened the hands of copyright owners with two directives that have extended most copyright protection periods from 50 to 70 years and granted greater copyright protection to databases."

He said the latest directive appeared to benefit the creative industries, but at a cost to end users.

Among those who could be affected are PhD students who get commercial sponsorship.

He said: "For example, many PhDs are currently sponsored by companies that claim the rights to commercial exploitation of the work.

"In these instances the new legislation may require students to pay fees to copy an article from a journal for their research, unlike today when they can do so at no cost.

"Moreover, individuals wishing to make copies for genuinely private, non-commercial use will start to find study more difficult.

"Because the legislation places a burden on libraries, they are likely to put the onus on private individuals to provide appropriate proof that their use is not for commercial purposes."