Copyright is an intellectual property right that automatically exists as soon as a work is created (i.e. you do not need to apply for copyright). Copyright law is designed to protect the rights of writers, artists, musicians, photographers, publishers and other creators.
Individuals who want to reproduce the original work of others may need to seek permission to do so.
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act, 1988 (CPDA) defines what we can and cannot do. The essence of the act is to protect commercial interests.
The following types of material are protected by copyright:
The following activities are restricted under copyright:
Copyright law does not protect ideas for a work, this is where it is often confused with other areas of intellectual property. To understand the various types of intellectual property, and what they cover, please see the Intellectual Property Office website for further details.
The owner of copyright is usually the person who created the material but there are exceptions:
Copyright applies to different types of work for varying periods of time:
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Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work |
70 years after the author’s death |
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Films |
70 years after the death of the director, screenplay author and composer |
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Sound and music recordings |
70 years from when it’s first published |
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Broadcasts |
50 years from when it’s first broadcast |
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Typographical layout of published works |
25 years from when it’s first published |
The time period runs from the end of the calendar year in which the author(s) died or from when the broadcast or sound recording was made. When copyright expires, the work enters the public domain, meaning that it can be used and re-used for free by anyone without the need to get permission from the copyright owner.
You may copy for educational purposes using the 'fair dealing exceptions', the limits for fair dealing are generally accepted as the following:.
A copy is not "fair" unless the answer to all three of the questions below is "yes".
It is essential to give full acknowledgement of the source of any material copied in this way wherever possible.
UK legislation provide specific exemptions allowing for copies to be made in an accessible format for the use of disabled person, without infringing copyright. :
This permits educational establishments, such as Cardiff Met, to make available, distribute and lend accessible format-copies of protected works on behalf of disabled people. The exception permits acts such as:
Further guidance can be found on the Intellectual Property Office website:
Licenses currently held by Cardiff Met include the following:
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Permits HEIs to make photocopies and scans from books, journals and magazines. |
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Permits the copying of artistic works onto slides and transparencies. |
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Permits the recording of radio and television broadcasts. |
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Facilitates screening of films to an audiences on a per screening basis. |
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Permits copying of articles from a range of national and regional newspapers. |
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Allows for music to be publicly played through radio, TV, digital devices and live performances. |
Cardiff Met holds licenses for all our electronic databases and journals.
In the majority of cases these resources are made available to Cardiff Met staff and students under strict terms for the purposes of private research and study. It is important that you observe the specific terms and conditions for each resource as misuse jeopardises electronic access for the entire university. In particular:
Staff and students are reminded of the IT conditions of use that they have accepted.
Staff are also encouraged to look at the IT Acceptable Use Policy for further information.
For any additional specific copyright queries regarding e-resources please contact electronicservices@cardiffmet.ac.uk
If you want to use material from the Internet you should be aware that, although some web based content is offered freely for you to copy, most is not. Every website will have its own copyright notice where you can check the restrictions on use of its content.
It is possible to get around the issue of copyright on websites by projecting pages or playing sound from websites live during a lecture or seminar. This is called "live linking". Live linking to a website is not considered to be copying and you are not infringing copyright law by showing web pages in this way. .
Use the URL to do this - you can also provide a link to a web page (rather than copying its content) into a Moodle module or Leganto reading list without infringing copyright law.
Similarly, if you embed a YouTube video or Google map into a blog, you are bringing the original source of that content to your site rather than creating another copy of it and so again this does not contravene copyright. .
What to do if copyright restrictions prevent you from copying and using web content in the way you wanted to:
For further guidance on anything to do with copyright, please contact centralservices@cardiffmet.ac.uk
