Copyright: five things you need to know
As a student, you often deal with both texts and images that are covered by copyright, so having a basic knowledge of copyright is a must. This text is a summary of the most important things you need to know, and it offers pointers on how to find out more.
Copyright gives the creator of a work the right to decide whether and how the work can be copied, modified, used and distributed by others. A work might be, for example, a text, a photo, an illustration or sheet music. For something to be considered a work, it must be reasonably original. Copyright lasts from the moment a work is created until 70 years after the creator’s death.
You will both create your own works and handle those of others as part of your studies. That is why you need to have a basic knowledge of copyright.
In this text, we summarise a number of rules that will be useful in your everyday studies, whatever you may be studying. Remember that we have simplified things significantly. If you need advice about a specific case, always ask your lecturer or a librarian who is familiar with your subject.
1. You can use other people’s works within a course if you provide a reference
Within certain limits, all students and teaching staff members have the right to copy and share published copyright works for teaching and assessment purposes. However, there are rules, for example, about how much of a text you are allowed to copy. You can read about these rules, known as the Reproduction Agreement for Higher Education, in the reproduction rights organisation Bonus Copyright Access’ quick guide.
Guide to Reproduction at Higher Education Institutions
In assignments that are to be handed in to your lecturer or uploaded to a Canvas course space, you are allowed to use other people’s images, figures, maps, etc. without permission, but it is important that you acknowledge the source. As you are probably already aware, you must always reference the source when quoting or referencing a passage from someone else’s text in your own – otherwise you risk being accused of plagiarism.
The same rules apply to images, photos and figures, for example – you must always state the author of a work when you use it in your own work.
However, if your assignment is to be published or displayed outside the course, e.g. uploaded on LUP Student Papers, it is not sufficient to cite the author when using other people’s images – you must ask for specific permission from the copyright holder. Always check the rules with your lecturer or a university librarian if your assignment is to be used outside the course you are taking.
If you want to be sure you are doing the right thing, you can choose to use only works published under a label or licence that clearly indicates that the work may be reused – the most common is known as a creative commons licence. That way, you will not need to adjust anything before publication. As always, however, you are to reference the source. For example, the HT Libraries’ website provides information on how to find and use images for your assignments.
Finding and using images – on the HT Libraries website
2. You may not copy or share your lecturer’s materials outside the course
University teaching staff hold copyright on much of the material they create in their work. This means that you cannot share, for example, teaching videos, compendiums or exercises with anyone other than your fellow students, unless the teaching staff member has explicitly said that you can.
You may download your lecturer’s teaching material to your own computer for private use, but you are not allowed to share it in digital forums or disseminate it in other contexts outside the course you are taking.
3. You may share your own work with others as long as you are not breaking other rules
Texts, images, figures and other works that you produce during a course or programme are yours to share with whomever you wish. Just make sure not to share lecturers’ instructions with your materials, for example. If several of you produce a work together, everyone in the group has copyright and you must all agree to share the work.
However, if you want to share your study material, you need to make sure that you are not breaking any other rules. For example, sharing your text with other students while writing a take-home exam could be considered cheating, even if it does not infringe copyright. You may not share anything that contains other people’s personal data.
4. You decide whether your material can be shared with others
The fact that you own the copyright to your works also means that others cannot share them without your consent. For example, if a teaching staff member wants to use your assignment as an example or exercise, they must first ask for your permission.
5. Some material may not be put into a generative AI tool
When you input material into a generative AI tool, the company behind the service is then able to use the input material to train their tools. This means that there is a risk of copyright infringement if you input someone else’s work. You can, of course, ask the creator for permission.
Even if you own the material you input, you need to be aware that you are giving it away to the company behind the tool. Inputting personal data or other data that may be perceived as sensitive is not allowed. Bear in mind that some programmes, such as in the health professions, deal with confidential data that must not be put into an AI tool.