What happens to the copyright in my article if it is rejected?

The transfer or licence of copyright under the copyright form has no effect unless and until an article has been accepted for publication. On acceptance, the copyright in the article transfers to IOP and/or its licensors/a non-exclusive licence is granted to IOP and/or its licensors. If an article is rejected by IOP then the copyright remains with the original copyright holder (i.e. the authors or their institutions), no licence is granted and the copyright form has no effect.