1.3.4 Copyright

• Copyright


  Legal right granted to the creator of an original work to control the use and distribution of that work
• The web has grown quickly and allows almost anyone to publish almost anything
• It is easy to find and incorporate information, images, audio and video files from the web into your own material
• Copying is so easy that people often mistakenly assume everything on the web is freely available
• Most material on the web is likely to be covered by copyright law
• Public domain


  Material not subject to copyright that can be used by anyone
• Works in the public domain

  • Works of Shakespeare and Beethoven
• Individual printings, adaptations or recordings of public domain works are still copyrighted to the publisher or performer
• Material may be in the public domain in one country but still under copyright in another
• It is wise to assume any third-party material is still protected by copyright unless you're sure it's in the public domain
• Copyright holders can prosecute individuals and organisations for infringing their rights
• Music and film companies have sued individuals for very large sums of money for copyright infringement
• Using copyrighted material


  1. Seek the author's permission

  2. Check the website's usage policies

  3. Understand the copyright holder may not be the publisher

  4. Can use limited extracts for study purposes without permission but must provide full reference
• Copyright law makes concessions for students to use copyrighted material in answering assignment questions without permission, but normal copyright applies for any other use
• The Library website includes further information on copyright