Researcher Development Programme

Know Your (Copy)Rights: protecting your own work and re-using other people’s…

24 Feb 2015

Susan Halfpenny

To protect your work on the internet, you should apply for copyright

True False

To protect your work on the internet, you should apply for copyright

Copyright is an automatic right

False

It’s actually illegal to rip your own CDs

True False

It’s actually illegal to rip your own CDs

…although it was illegal until recently! In 2014 the UK Parliament approved legislation which permits “personal copying for private use”.

False

It’s not against the law to link to YouTube clips in your blog

True False

It’s not against the law to link to YouTube clips in your blog

True Even if the clip was uploaded illegally, creating a link to it is not an offence

You can photocopy anything in the Library as long as it’s for students

True False

You can photocopy anything in the Library as long as it’s for students

We have to purchase a CLA Licence, which sets limits, and doesn’t cover everything

False

You need a screening licence to show a DVD in a lecture

True False

You need a screening licence to show a DVD in a lecture

The law specifically allows “performing, showing or playing a work… in an educational establishment”.

False

It’s ok to email a journal article to another researcher

True False

It’s ok to email a journal article to another researcher

True …sometimes! If it’s an open access journal, or a copy in a repository, you probably have permission to “distribute”.

What does the law say?

Core Principles

• Almost all creative works are protected automatically

• The creator can sell/assign the copyright to someone else, such as a publisher

• Copyright usually expires 70 years after the creator’s death

Copyright Designs & Patents Act 1988

• A legal framework to protect the creator’s economic interests

• Amended 2014 to incorporate digital technology and harmonise with other EU jurisdictions

• Defines exceptional circumstances where copying is permitted

Exceptions (in brief)

• Personal, private• For reporting• For education or non-

commercial research• For libraries• For users with an

impairment

“Fair dealing”

• A modest amount (10%ish)

• Fully attributed• For a limited audience• For a limited time• No economic impact

Image credit: "Brass scales with cupped trays" by Toby Hudson - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Licences

• Copyright Licensing Agency: HE Licence covers course reading in most cases

• Educational Recording Agency: recorded broadcasts in classroom and on VLE (limited to UK)

• Newspaper Licensing Agency: for Press Office

There’s a lot more to it…

Deciding whether to copy

None of the above apply…

• What’s the risk?• Is there any other way to achieve your goal?

Protecting your own work

• Don’t sign away your rights: read the small print

• License self-published work through the Creative Commons

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Time to think…

Scenario 1You are tutoring a seminar group tomorrow. A colleague has handed you a paper copy of a brand-new journal article which would really stimulate discussion.What are your options for distributing it to students?

Scenario 2You are preparing a conference presentation about your research into retail environments. You would like to show some video footage, photos, and charts illustrating data. What do you need to consider?

Scenario 3You are blogging about the progress of your experiments on sea level rises, which you hope will be newsworthy. How can you maximise exposure to your writing without losing control over it?

Scenario 4You are preparing your thesis for submission, on the theme of social media. You would like to include some screenshots from Facebook, sample tweets, and stills from Hollywood films.Do you need permission for any of these?

A practical guide

Help for HE staff:

From the IPO:

For content creators

From CILIP:

Any questions?