Skip to Main Content

Copyright for Solent Staff

Books, Journals, and Magazines

Incorporating short extracts into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions.

If you want to provide whole book chapters or journal articles for your students to read, you should include these on a reading list submitted to Solent Library so that our Digidocs service can provide access. If the resource is available electronically, we will link to it, otherwise we will (if restrictions permit) put a high quality scan on the CLA's secure storage site (the DCS) and link to this scan.

Can I scan or link to chapters/articles myself?

You cannot scan articles/chapters yourself. In order to meet the strict reporting requirements of the CLA licence, the Library needs to do all the scanning under this license itself. Any scanning done by academic staff is not covered by the licence, therefore, and is likely to breach copyright.

Although a few e-resource providers forbid linking in their terms and conditions, in most cases there will be no copyright concerns with academic staff linking to e-books or e-journals provided that the sites linked to can legitimately host the work (e.g., anything found via the Library catalogue, the publisher's website, an institutional repository; be aware that much content on sites such as Academia.edu is not legitimately shared).

British Standards

Incorporating short extracts of British Standards into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions. In addition, the British Standards Online (BSOL) terms and conditions permit the copying of up to 10% of a standard for internal use (this should cover teaching materials, but not published research). If you need to copy from a printed standard, the same 10% limit would seem appropriate. Any extracts must be accompanied by this acknowledgement: "Copyright BSI © Date (where date is the date of copyrighted material)".

If you want your students to access whole documents, you can link to them in BSOL so that each of your students will need to authenticate and access them individually. You can include British Standards on a reading list submitted to the library, so that our Digidocs service can provide these links. If the resource is not available electronically, we will explore all the options, but it is unlikely that scanning whole Standards will be permitted.

Databases

Incorporating short extracts of data into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions.

Some databases allow further copying – see the terms and conditions for that database or contact your Information Librarian.

Films, Videos, and Broadcasts

Incorporating short extracts into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions. However, section 296 of the copyright legislation forbids the circumvention of any technological protection measures that aim to prevent copying (e.g., on a DVD or online film), and doing so could leave you liable, even if your copying would otherwise be acceptable. For more detail on this, see section 9.2 of HUDSON, E., 2022. Updated Copyright Guidance for Using Films, Audiovisual Works and Images in Online Teaching: Beyond the Covid Pandemic.

If you want your students to have access to a whole recording, you should explore the following options:

  • Many TV and radio broadcasts, including films shown on TV, will be available in the Library's Box of Broadcasts (BoB) service. You can link to the broadcast, embed it in SOL, or play it in class, provided you and your students are in the UK. Making and playing recordings beyond what is in BoB is also permitted under the ERA licence.
  • If the work in question has not been broadcast, or is not currently available to you in Box of Broadcasts or under the ERA licence, then one option is to play the work in person in class, assuming that the University owns a DVD/CD. The use of personal copies (or personal streaming subscriptions) for such screening is legally unclear, but the Library would expect to buy copies of works that you intend to use in class wherever feasible. See the exception for performing, playing, or showing a work for more details. 
  • Playing a recording in an online class is riskier, as it is not clear whether or not it would infringe copyright by communicating a work to the public. Again, see the exception for performing, playing, or showing a work for more details. See also the general discussion of risk and copyright exceptions.
  • Some universities have gone so far as to make electronic copies of films available on their VLE for students to watch. The legality of this is unclear, and the Library recommends that this approach should only be used at Solent as part of a carefully considered policy that has approval from senior management. The further reading below goes into detail about this approach.
  • Many videos on free streaming services such as YouTube have been uploaded illegitimately, and you could be breaching copyright by using or linking to these videos. If you think one of these videos would be useful in your teaching, and accessing a legitimate copy is not feasible, consider if any of the copyright exceptions would apply and make a risk-benefit judgement (see the general discussion of risk and copyright exceptions). Using videos made freely available by rights holders would normally carry much less risk, but check for terms and conditions.

Staff who need to use audiovisual material (beyond what is in Box of Broadcasts) extensively are advised to consult the further reading below.

Further Reading

Learning on Screen: The British Universities and Colleges Film and Video Council. The Code of Fair Practice for the Use of Audiovisual Works in Film Education.

HUDSON, E., 2022. Updated Copyright Guidance for Using Films, Audiovisual Works and Images in Online Teaching: Beyond the Covid Pandemic.

Government Documents

Many UK government documents are protected by Crown copyright, which can last up to 125 years.

Materials covered typically by Crown copyright include acts, statutory instruments, explanatory notes to acts, national curriculum material, court forms, press releases etc.

The government permits materials protected by Crown and Parliamentary copyright to be used quite freely under the Open Government Licence but there are exceptions, especially relating to logos and third party information. Please check the UK Government Licensing Framework for further information.

The licence for the re-use of information covered by Parliamentary copyright is the Open Parliament Licence (OPL).

The OPL permits the same activities; and carries the same restrictions and exemptions as the Open Government License

Images and Logos

Illustrations in books, journals, and magazines

The CLA licence allows the copying of diagrams, illustrations, drawings, photographs and other graphic works, either as a part of a larger extract or in isolation. Remember that copying under the CLA licence for non-personal use - anything that is to be distributed to students - must be done by the Library's Digidocs service.

If the illustration is in a work not covered by the CLA licence, then you might be able to copy it under one of the copyright exceptions. However, caution is required here, as if the illustration can be considered a separate work from the chapter/article containing it, then if you copy the illustration, you would be copying a whole work, which is less likely to be considered fair dealing.

Illustrations in newspapers

The NLA licence permits the copying of photographs, illustrations and advertisements as well as text.

If the illustration is in a work not covered by the NLA licence, then you might be able to copy it under one of the copyright exceptions. However, caution is required here, as if the illustration can be considered a separate work from the chapter/article containing it, then if you copy the illustration, you would be copying a whole work, which is less likely to be considered fair dealing.

Images from the internet

Most images on the web are protected by copyright, but a growing number are being made available for re-use under a Creative Commons (CC) License

Some websites, known as image banks, allow you to search for images that are subject to a CC License. If using one of these images, take care to follow the conditions of re-use exactly, otherwise your use is a breach of copyright.

If a particular image is required for your teaching, it might be possible to use it under a copyright exception, but consider the risks involved carefully. An alternative is to ask permission from the rights holder - they might be happy for it to be used educationally.

For a detailed discussion see sections 8.4-8.8 of HUDSON, E., 2022. Updated Copyright Guidance for Using Films, Audiovisual Works and Images in Online Teaching: Beyond the Covid Pandemic.

Logos 

You should expect a logo to be copyright protected, and some companies might be very eager to pursue anyone who uses a logo without permission. Nevertheless, if a particular image is required for your teaching, it might be possible to use it under a copyright exception, but you should consider the risks involved very carefully. An alternative is to ask permission from the rights holder - they might be happy for it to be used educationally.

Maps and Charts

Incorporating short extracts of maps or map data into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions.

The University has a subscription to Ordnance Survey and Historic maps via Digimap. If you wish to use this resource in your teaching and research, please familiarise yourself with the Digimap terms and conditions, particularly how to identify the licence that applies to a particular map from the Map Information tab of the sidebar when a map is open.

Map Information tab open on a map in Digimap; licence information highlighted

Then check the specific individual Digimap licence (available in both HTML and PDF format). 

Older maps

If you need to use a large amount of a map in your teaching and research, consider if an older, out of copyright map would be suitable. Ordnance Survey maps are out of copyright 50 years after the end of the year in which they were produced, so in 2023 you can use any OS map published up until and including 1972 without any copyright concerns. If you do copy such a map, it is good practice to still include an acknowledgement such as "Reproduced from ... (year of publication) Ordnance Survey map."

Music - Performed or Recorded

The principles that apply to Film, Video, and Broadcasts are likely to apply in the case of copying or playing recorded music or performing musical works. If you are unsure about the legality of a particular use, please consult your Information Librarian.

Music - Scores

Incorporating short extracts of scores into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions.

The Music Publishers Association (MPA) publishes a Code of Fair Practice that allows for slightly more extensive copying than the exceptions in certain circumstances, but note that this only applies to works published by MPA members.

Further Reading

The UK Government's Copyright Notice on printed music might be useful, though it is not aimed specifically at the educational context.

If you want to do copying that will not be covered by an exception or the MPA Code, feel free to consult your Information Librarian.

Newspapers

Incorporating short extracts into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions.

The simplest way to make whole newspaper articles available to your students is to link to the electronic content provided by the Library. To find newspaper content from the Library, you could:

If you need to make a copy yourself, consult our guidance on the NLA licence.

Websites

You should assume that all website content is covered by copyright. Incorporating short extracts into your research or teaching materials is likely to be covered by the copyright exceptions. Like all resources, any use of copyright materials should be accompanied by sufficient acknowledgement.

For more extensive use, you should check the terms and conditions of a website, as many sites do allow the copying or re-use of their content. In the absence of a specific statement, however, you have to assume that copying is not allowed. In which case, you will be able to use the resource only under a copyright exception (unless you contact the site owner to ask for permission).

Some websites do not allow you to deep link to their content, bypassing the homepage with details of ownership or advertising. If you wish to link to a webpage, you should check for and meet any prohibitions or conditions. Be careful also when using frames or opening new pages in pop-up windows; without proper acknowledgement it could be considered an attempt to "pass off" someone else’s work as your own.