Copyright Advisory Service

These webpages

  • Copyright Guidelines : this webpage provides detailed but practical guidance about copyright in a higher education setting. It has guidance about your own intellectual property and your rights, and guidance on particular uses you may want to make of other people's materials (third party materials) and how to do this legally. It is recommended that you use these only once you have understood the basic introduction below as the material there is taken as read and not repeated in the guidelines.
  • Copyright licences : this webpage contains information about the various licences that the University of York holds. The University has several licences that enable staff to do more with works covered by copyright for educational purposes, for example copying multiple copies of extracts of works to distribute course packs or scanning works to put on the VLE.
  • Copyright Support : this webpage contains information about how to contact the Library or make an appointment for general copyright advice. Note: this is general advice, not legal advice.
  • Copyright Links : this webpage contains links to the University of York policies and procedures relating to Intellectual Property, forms, and other useful guidelines. It also provides some links to external websites that contain useful information about copyright.

Copyright: the basics

Before looking at the guidelines, or making an appointment for help, see the following short introduction to copyright in higher education.

Did you know? ...

- When a piece of work is created, as long as it is recorded or written down in a permanent form, it automatically becomes copyright-protected.

- If someone copies, adapts, translates, performs, publishes, sells, or transmits a copyright work (which includes putting it on the web or emailing it) they may be infringing copyright law.

- There is some scenarios where the restricted acts above do not infringe the law, but broad 'educational use' alone is not an acceptable defence.

- When something is put into circulation by the owner, for example on a webpage or in a pamphlet or book, they do not lose any of their rights.

- However, materials are only protected for a certain amount of time and after that time people can reproduce them freely.

Continue to University of York Library & Archives Basic Guide to Copyright (PDF , 297kb) 

Please note: The information contained in these web-pages has been developed to provide guidance on copyright for staff and students at the University of York. The web-pages and guides contain interpretations of copyright law and are provided for general guidance only. The information contained in the web-pages and guides does not constitute legal advice. If you see any errors or omissions please let us know.