Whilst library staff endeavour to give guidance in these matters, it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual student or staff member of the University to abide by the legislation and CLA agreement. We strongly advise that you consult the CLA HE licence and user guidance before undertaking any copying.

Useful Link: copyrightuser.org

The Albert Sloman Library collections in print and electronic format (e.g. e-journals, e-books and online databases) are subject to copyright law and publishers' licensing terms which cover photocopying, scanning, printing, downloading and re-use of content. Please be aware that it is the individual's responsibility to ensure their actions do not breach copyright or license agreements. Any infringement can result in serious legal consequences.

Notices are placed beside all photocopying machines and scanners in the Library drawing attention of users to copyright regulations. Further notices and guidance are accessible from the e-resources pages on the Library website.

Copyright gives legal protection to the creators of original material against unauthorised exploitation of their work and covers the reproduction, publication, dissemination or performance of anything that is written, printed, recorded, or produced in any form, including printed and electronic material, illustrations, films, recorded music, computer software, and all intellectual property. Copyright in the UK is governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998, as amended.

Copyright usually provides protection for a specific period of time. When that time elapses, the material is considered to be in the public domain. Copyright normally exists until 70 years have elapsed from the year of the creator's death, but even if the literary content of a work is out of copyright, copyright exists in the typographical arrangement of a published work for 25 years after the end of the year in which the edition was first published.

See: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

The Act specifies who is the first owner at the time of creation or production but copyright can be assigned by the owner to another, e.g., the author of an article in a journal can assign copyright to the publisher of that journal.

It is not permitted to copy any copyright material unless the material falls into one of the categories below:

• copyright has expired (See above: How long does copyright last?)
• or you own the copyright (See above: Who owns copyright?)
• or the copyright holder has given permission for the work to be copied (See below: Obtaining permission)
• or use of the work is governed by a licence granted by the copyright holder (See below: Multiple copying for teaching purposes)
• or your copy, or copies is/are permitted by the Act (See below: Single copies for private study or research).

Please note the above is an interpretation of the law and does not constitute formal legal advice.

Intellectual Property Office
JISC copyright law guide
University of Essex IPR & Copyright guidance