Usually the creator or creators will own copyright however:
Copyright legislation protects your work and stops other people from using it without permission. Copyright restricts others from copying, distributing, renting or lending copies of your work. Performing, showing or playing the work in public, or making adaptations is also prevented.
An author of a work has a moral right to be identified as the creator of the work and has the right to object to derogatory use. Economic rights give the author exclusive rights to control and exploit their work whilst retaining ownership.
As copyright is an automatic right, you are not required to register ownership but you should assert this right to ensure protection of moral rights.
You may choose to add the © symbol to your work, together with your name and the year of creation, but this is optional.
'All Rights Reserved' - Any use requires permission unless a legal exception applies or 'Some Rights Reserved' - usually used with licensing information or specific terms of use.
What is the act of copying?
UK copyright law limits the amount of material you may legally reproduce
Generally, you can only copy all of a work if:
Copying in an electronic format is defined as 'Digital Copying'. This term applies to copying from websites, burning a CD, scanning from printed material to save electronically etc.
Fair dealing does not apply to posting material on the internet or intranet as this form of publication is deemed to be 'communicating to the public' (CDPA 1988 S.29) and not for the purpose of research and private study.
If the genuine purpose of copying falls under the educational exception of criticism, review, quotation and news reporting (CDPA 1988 S30), this may be permitted as the provision requires the work to be communicated to the public. Acknowledge the source unless it is not possible for practical reasons.
Emailing a copy of an item to another person is an infringement.
Always check the copyright statement on a website. Most sites carry a copyright statement or terms and conditions for content reuse. A copyright owner may allow certain uses of a work by asserting a Creative Commons Licence which permit certain activities but the copyright owner does not waive their rights.
Unless done for financial gain, posting a hyperlink to a copyright work on the internet without a copyright owner’s consent is not an infringement.
'Fair Dealing' for copyright works for specific purposes
You may make a single copy or short extract for your own private study and/or non-commercial research. The amount which may be copied is not specified but should be insubstantial. This is applicable to all types of copyright work and includes recordings of performances. However, musical scores are not included within this copying framework.
Limits are often defined as:
You must ensure that use of the material is fair and you must always give appropriate acknowledgement to the copyright holder when copying for research purposes. This permission is known as "fair dealing" and is a matter of judgement for the individual; does the reproduction affect the commercial sale of the original and would it be considered reasonable and appropriate? It is applicable to the exceptions relating to research and private study, criticism or review, and news reporting.
Exceptions are not absolute rights but provide a legal defence. Do not confuse with the US term 'Fair Use'.
There is another exception where you may copy very limited amounts for the purpose of criticism and review. This is applicable to published works and you are required to acknowledge the source.
There is a degree of overlap between using criticism and review and the quotation exception. Broadly, quotation can be used as a general exception for short quotes from a variety of sources. Criticism and review may be used to critique or review original work for meaning and/or context.
You may rely on these exceptions when:
the work is publicly available
use of the material is fair
the purpose of using the extract is for quotation, criticism or review
use of the work is accompanied by acknowledgement wherever practicable (identify the creator and the title of the work)
The use of the quotation must extend no further than is required to achieve your purpose.
It is worth noting that the exceptions for quotation and for criticism and review cannot be overridden by contract.
Researchers are permitted to use text and data mining technology to harvest copyright works. This exception is only applicable for non-commercial purposes. As a researcher you must have lawful access to a copy of the work, for example, via a library subscription. You must provide sufficient acknowledgement unless this is not practical.
You can access further information on text data mining and copyright by visiting the Swansea University Research Data site. The site includes a TDM copyright checklist.
You may use copyright material for reporting current events providing you use 'fair dealing' amounts and you acknowledge your source. This includes short extracts from text or digital media clips when used for reporting current events. Photographs are not included and may only be reproduced with permission from the rights holder.
The University's basic licence from the Newspaper Licensing Agency covers copying for teaching and learning purposes from national UK newspapers and 5 regional titles. It does not cover foreign newspapers.
For further information about the licence for educational establishments, please visit the NLA Media Access website.
You are permitted to use the 'fair dealing' defence if using an existing work for the purpose of caricature, parody or pastiche. You may use a copyright exception to create a new work without the need to obtain explicit permission from the rights holder. However, be mindful that satirical use must not amount to derogatory action and it should have noticeable differences to the original work.
Please see the extensive explanation on the Information for Teachers tab.
This permits fair dealing digital copying for teaching purposes, for setting and communicating examinations questions, for theses and potentially for use in a VLE.
Who is the rights owner?
How to contact the rights owner
You should try to make contact with the rights holder(s) if you decide you cannot rely on fair dealing or any license that the University hold or is attached to the work.
It is best to do this in writing via email, website contact form etc. Keep a copy of your request as telephone or oral permission is unreliable if you are challenged. A rights holder may require payment before you can proceed.
Include full details of the content you want to reuse, include details of the audience or users, the delivery format and specify the time period.
e.g. For use in a secure password protected network for a limited cohort of XX students for the duration of a teaching module 2024-2024.
If you are unable to ascertain the rights holder, or the creator of the work is unknown, then you are dealing with an orphan work. Explore the Government Orphan Works Licensing chem via IPO. You will need evidence of a diligent search to trace the copyright owner or their heirs.
Individuals are permitted to make a single copy of a copyright work in an accessible format for the personal use of a disabled person, if a commercially available accessible copy is unavailable. This means that provided the person making the copy has lawful possession of the original work, they may create an adapted version.
Further information is available via the Swansea University Transcription Centre (SUTC)
Ordinance Survey (OS) mapping which was created prior to 1 April 2015 will be protected by Crown copyright for a period of 50 years from its first publication. Accordingly, if an OS map was first published over 50 years ago it can be copied or otherwise used without a licence from OS.
Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the copyright arising in the updates to OS mapping, or in new mapping data, software, or other materials, after 1 April 2015, will last for a period of 70 years following the death of all the persons involved in creating it. It is only after expiry of this period, that the mapping can be copied or otherwise used without a licence from OS. Further information on copyright and database mapping is available from the Ordinance Survey website.
Swansea University subscribes to the following resources, all of which allow educational use of Ordinance Survey maps and data:
Digimap service, Historic Digimap, Environment Digimap and more.
The Digimap Collections License Agreement permits an accredited individual to save electronically or print limited parts of maps under their license terms and conditions. The OS website includes a section on Education Resources and provides information for universities using licensed Digimap services. When you complete your registration Digimap will permit you access and you may use the Landmark Data in this service solely for educational use. See their license data website for further information.
Non OS maps are considered artistic works, so CDPA 'fair dealing' copyright exceptions will apply.
Google Maps, Google Earth and Street View allow the annotation of its maps including permission to use in journal articles, reports, presentations, magazines, etc. provided you are using the mapping tools for a non-commercial purpose and you use proper attribution.
Please check the terms and conditions before reproducing any map content.
Staff and students are respectfully reminded that they should not sell Swansea University content to commercial sites supplying educational resources to students. Swansea University lecture notes, examination papers and module content are protected by the Copyright Designs & Patents Act 1988.
Staff and students are reminded of their obligation to adhere to the Digital Acceptable Use Policy. University content should not be shared without permission from the author(s).