New copyright game to mark International Museums Day 2025

By Christina Daouti, on 14 May 2025

The great thing about copyright games is that you can learn new concepts, consolidate your existing knowledge and, importantly, understand the grey areas in IP debates without noticing that some serious learning is happening: you are too busy trying to solve the codes in online escape rooms, outwit other players in face-to-face board games or get full marks in quirky quizzes.

To mark International Museums Day 2025 on the 18th of May, Erica Levi (a copyright specialist at Coventry University), Christine Daoutis (that’s me, in an equivalent role here at UCL) and Victoria Rendell (doing her MA in Library and Information Studies here at UCL) decided to create a virtual museum like no other. Imagine the Greek marbles, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar, Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait, a rowing machine, the Vitruvian Man and other works in the same room, and you get the picture, as it were.

Our purpose was to address issues that arise in art contexts. What is infringement and what is inspiration? Can you really claim new copyright to a digital reproduction of an old painting that is out of copyright? Can you photobomb the Mona Lisa, or rather, can the Mona Lisa photobomb you?

Image created by Erica Levi. See copyright information on the individual third-party images included here.

Whether you are interested in art or not, this resource will hopefully encourage you to think about copyright in new ways.

Click on the image or on this game link to play.

Explore more copyright resources.

• If you like escape rooms and other interactive resources, explore Erica Levi’s website.
• If you like Star Wars, complete the UCL Copyright Essentials online tutorial and may the Force be with you.
• If you are a UCL member of staff or student and prefer traditional face-to-face board games, get your friends together and attend the Copyright for Humans game session on the 11 th of June at 2 pm at the Science library, UCL. Register for this session.

UCL students and staff, rate your copyright confidence (and enter a £25 voucher prize draw).

How confident are you around copyright? And what support do you need to get (even) more confident?

Answer 4 questions in this short anonymous survey. If you are happy to provide your name and email, you can enter a draw to win a £25 love2shop voucher. Your personal details will not be shared with anyone else.

Contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Introducing Colin, UCL’s Copyright Literacy Nerd.

By Christina Daouti, on 1 May 2025

Colin was AI-generated in Microsoft Copilot on 25 February 2025, using prompts by Christine Daoutis.
Colin is wearing shoes, gloves and a graduation cap from Microsoft Copilot.

Exclusive Interview 

Colin the Copyright Literacy Nerd has a dream. He wants everyone to understand copyright better, so that we can all be even more creative, open and collaborative in whatever we do: research, studying, teaching, art, communications, you name it. He also thinks the best way to develop copyright literacy is to come together as a community.  I was delighted that he agreed to an exclusive interview to find out more about him and his mission.

Interviewer: Colin, it’s such a pleasure to speak to you.

Colin: Thank you! It’s a pleasure to be interviewed. I must say, it’s not every day a copyright symbol gets to be in the spotlight. Usually, we’re just hanging out on the bottom of pages, you know?

The AI-generated face of copyright literacy

Interviewer: This is true! Although you are not just a copyright symbol, are you? You are a copyright literacy icon. Tell me, how did you come into existence?

Colin: My journey began with the help of Microsoft Copilot, who used the magic of AI to bring me to life. I believe it took quite a few attempts to get me right.

…And then I had to go through a gruesome selection process, along with a few other copyright literacy characters (some very shady, in my opinion).

An iffy candidate for the Colin role. Created in Microsoft Copilot.

Luckily, my lovely colleagues at UCL chose me and here I am, the new face of copyright literacy! 

Interviewer: And what a face! I believe you were designed to look as cute and friendly as possible, and you haven’t disappointed us.

Colin: No, hopefully I haven’t disappointed. I ‘m basically the copyright symbol you’d want to have a coffee with. I have to say, it felt strange to see my face on balloons, lollipops and posters at the Student Centre last month. Students stopping by to ask about me and about copyright; it was great!

The what and why of copyright literacy

Interviewer: Tell me, Colin, what is copyright literacy and why is it your dream to help develop it at UCL?

Colin: Copyright literacy is about having and applying the knowledge, understanding, skills and behaviours that help you create and use materials ethically (I am paraphrasing my good friends Jane Secker and Chris Morrison here). Copyright literacy is not just about respecting the works created by others, but also using materials creatively and confidently, so that we can build on each other’s work and learn and create new things.

You know, we copyright symbols are often associated with stopping people from using a work without permission. It’s true that copyright exists to protect the rights of creators, but copyright has also developed (and should develop even more) to allow people to study, access other’s works, teach, do research, discover new things, analyse data, create art, make existing works more accessible, communicate…What would the world be like if ‘all rights reserved’ applied strictly to everything, all the time, without exceptions and without a desire to make things more open?

And so copyright literacy is understanding all these aspects, understanding what really matters to different people involved (authors, publishers, AI developers, artists, students, the public) and making decisions based on this understanding. To give you just one example, to use a photo or a drawing you normally need permission. It may affect someone else’s income if you don’t. But at the same time, what does ‘use’ mean? If it means showing a diagram to students to explain something, discuss a painting in a dissertation or even create something new with it (for example a funny version) you should be able to understand what is possible and make a decision. Who are you really harming if you use the image and who is affected if you don’t? This will depend on so many things. Understanding what is called ‘fair dealing’ and managing uncertainty and risk comes into this, too.

Copyright is also a topic that’s often misunderstood, so I’m here to make it clear and fun!

How does it feel to be AI-generated?

Interviewer: I agree with everything you have said so far, but then again I sort of created you. Which brings me to a more delicate question. How does it feel to be AI-generated?

Colin: I was hoping you would ask this! I am quite proud to be AI-generated because, no offence, you wouldn’t be able to create me in a million years if you had to draw me! But I also have a lot of questions, too. I am a copyright symbol but am I protected by copyright? Do I feel uncomfortable that a judge or  government consultation may decide my fate in this respect? (Yes). Does the fact that I am the product of extracting information from countless images make me feel less special? I’m not sure. There are a lot of things that we need to get right with AI, and a cute copyright cartoon isn’t going to solve them all.

How to develop your copyright literacy

Interviewer: You are a cute copyright cartoon who is also a copyright literacy nerd! Can you describe your ideal copyright-literate person?

Colin: I’ll try. OK, here we go: smart, respectful, fair and honest, collaborative, well read, critical, comfortable with risk and uncertainty, avoiding absolutes, playful, fun, supportive of open science and education, curious and open to different opinions…and of course creative and interested in copyright!

Interviewer:  And how do people become all these things?

Colin: There are many ways to do it, but I believe in the power of working together. UCL has a new copyright literacy community,  (Teams channel) open to everyone at UCL, which supports informal discussions, runs copyright games, celebrates case studies and encourages you to learn from each other. You don’t need to know anything technical about copyright to join – we are all getting together as creators and scholars, to co-create our approaches to copyright with support from the copyright team.

And there are also so many other things people can do:

• Complete a (really, really short, I promise!) survey to rate your copyright confidence and suggest copyright sessions and resources.
• Complete the UCL Copyright Essentials online tutorial (self-paced, light touch, quite well-liked so far).
• Join one of our sessions (in person or on Teams).
• Contact the copyright team with questions, suggestions or to arrange a game session for a group of friends/students/colleagues.

Final comments

Interviewer: Before we wrap up, what is your greatest ambition?

Colin, waving. Animated using the free version of vidfly.ai.

Colin: My greatest personal ambition is to be animated one day. Look, I can just about wave, but I’d like to be able to do more.

My professional ambition is to make copyright interesting, fun and enjoyable for everyone. This is what I was created for!

Interviewer: Thank you very much, Colin.

Colin: Thank you, too! Stay creative everyone! Hope to see you at the Copyright Literacy Teams channel!

 

This interview was created with the help of Microsoft Copilot.

The face of copyright literacy at UCL: Colin on posters and lollipops.

 

Colin on balloons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I have to say, it felt strange to see my face on balloons, lollipops and posters at the Student Centre last month. Students stopping by to ask about me and about copyright; it was great!”.

Learning about copyright: a perspective from a work placement student

By Christina Daouti, on 31 March 2025

Guest post by Artas Balciunas, work experience student at UCL.

Artas, currently in his first year at college, had his work experience week with the UCL copyright support team in March 2025. Here is his perspective on copyright from a student’s point of view.

Copyright, the protection of original works of authorship, is a prominent concept in daily life; however, students or even adult figures often disregard it as a whole. Copyright infringement can happen in many cases, for example, if someone copied someone else’s image or text from something like a journal or book without permission. As a work experience student, I have learnt three important concepts to note to myself and hopefully to inform other students: Licensing, Open Access, and Fair Dealing. 

Key copyright concepts

Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) poster for Higher Education. This poster is displayed next to printers and copying machines on campus, to provide information on what staff and students can do under the terms of the licence.

Copyright licences. A lot of books and journals used in education are covered by a licence, meaning that anyone subscribing to that licence can use the publication under the terms of the licence. UCL has the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Higher Education licence, which covers many of  the scholarly resources appearing on reading lists and used in courses, further reinforcing the fact that this is all so important for us students to understand.  However, as great as this is, licenses greatly limit what we can do. We are limited to how much we can copy and we certainly cannot share with others – just use for a particular course. For example, under the CLA licence, UCL students can only access 10% or one chapter from a book.  

Part of a cartoon available on the Creative Commons wiki. Credits: Cartoon concept and design by Neeru Paharia. Original illustrations by Ryan Junell, Photos by Matt Haughey. This comic strip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

Open access. With open access, a resource, for example a book, article or image can be accessed and reused by absolutely anyone. There are no limits or paywalls. It is all easily accessible and reusable – a student’s dream. For example, anyone can download an open access textbook from anywhere in the world, as long as they have an internet connection, and they can also copy and share the resource as long as they credit the author. Another example is Wikimedia Commons, where you can find various media that are shared with an open licence. Open access resources are usually under a Creative Commons licence, which I’m sure a lot of us have heard before. There is a push towards more open access resources however, many scholarly resources are still behind paywalls, making access difficult for students. Together, we can change this.

Source: OpenClipart.

Fair Dealing. Yet another important principle to consider  is Fair Dealing. I certainly did not know this but there are copyright exceptions that allow you to use material for research or study reasons or for teaching, where you might need an example to be able to demonstrate your point. When using the exceptions, you have to think about what is fair and only use what you need for your purpose, considering the interests of the author and the user of the material, and the consequences on the market of the resource. This is the concept of fair dealing in the UK. There are so many more exeptions which are vital to look at when thinking about copyright, especially without a licence. 

Led Zeppelin talking to the ress, 2012. Paul A. Hudson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Learning about copyright through court cases

Finally, I have particularly seen how court cases can educate students. The UK Law system is common law where precedent, i.e. court cases, alongside legislation, helps shape the legal system. If we were to take a look at such court cases, it can really educate students in the world of copyright and demonstrate why it is so important to really understand the concept. One case that got my interest is the Skidmore. v Led Zeppelin case, which alleged that Led Zeppelin’s song ‘Stairway to Heaven’ infringed (i.e. reproduced without permission) parts of Spirit’s ‘Taurus’. This case has something to teach everybody about how the courts judge originality and similarity, how technicalities in the law affect an outcome and how subjective copyright can be. This is important for everyone to understand, not just music students.

In this case, after a five-day trial, the jury returned a verdict for Led Zeppelin that the songs were not similar under the ‘extrinsic’ test, which is one of two tests required in the Ninth Circuit for works to be deemed substantially similar. Perhaps the results may have differed if the courts had been allowed to compare the recordings and not just the music score, which was not possible because of an older law applied to the song, ‘Taurus’. Skidmore appealed, resulting in another trial which again entails more time, money and resources for such an avoidable thing, and still losing. What we can also learn from this is that copyright court cases take time, effort and their outcomes can be very emotive.

To conclude, students often disregard copyright laws which are so important to understand. It is important to educate but most importantly, it is important to advocate for change so that copyright is more fair for everyone and knowledge becomes more open and accesible. 

Are you a human? Then UCL’s new copyright card game is for you!

By Christina Daouti, on 18 March 2025

If someone ‘infringed your copyright’ i.e. reproduced your work without your permission, would you be…angry? Flattered? Unconcerned? And when you use, say, an image created by someone else, do you think…you always need permission? Or that it’s fine without permission as long as you give credit to the author?  Or that it’s OK as long as the use is ‘educational’?

Image created by Christine Daoutis using icons from Open Clipart.

Copyright questions bring out different reactions in people: dread, interest, uncertainty, horror, excitement, humour or – let’s face it – boredom. ‘Copyright for Humans’ is a new card game created for those whose eyes glaze over at the mention of copyright, those who feel nervous when faced with a copyright question, and those who are interested in copyright and want to share their opinions with others.

Drawing from a large pool of questions and an even larger pool of possible answers, you are encouraged to discuss and respond to different copyright scenarios in humorous and creative ways. You may gleefully agree with some copyright decisions (e.g. ‘this is the best idea since the invention of printing!’) and pompously condemn others (e.g. ‘this is so risky it’s giving me the copyright chills’, you may feel uncertain (e.g. ‘I’m not answering this without my lawyer’ or avoid answering altogether (e.g.’I had the answer but ChatGPT ate it’). The game encourages you to consider different types of answers and learn about copyright in the process.

See a demo of Copyright for Humans, 27 March 2025, Student Centre

To see a demo of the game, say hello to the copyright team and take away some treats, drop by the Student Centre on Thursday the 27th of March, any time between 12 pm and 4 pm. 

Play the game in a small group

Current scheduled sessions are on:

• Tuesday 25 March, 3 pm, IoE Library Training Room. Register for this session.
• Wednesday 11 June, 2 pm, Science Library, DMS Watson Building, Room 417. Register for this session.
• Contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk to arrange a session for your department on a date that suits you.

‘Oh help! Oh no! It’s a copyright-breaching gruffalo!’

By Christina Daouti, on 20 February 2025

Saffron Blaze, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It looks like the much-loved ‘Gruffalo’ and ‘Gruffalo’s Child’ books, created by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, have a sequel: ‘The Grufallo’s Rights’. A recent story reported on BBC news involves a copyright dispute over the Gruffalo and other characters featuring in the books. 

Until recently, sculptures of the Gruffalo, the mouse and other characters featuring in Julia Donaldson’s story were displayed as part of a trail in Orrest Head in the Lake District. However, a letter from Magic Light Pictures (the company that manages the rights to the characters) asked that they be removed, as permission was not given to display them. As the letter pointed out, infringing the copyright to the characters by displaying them without a licence competed with nearby Gruffalo trails already licensed to Forestry England. 

Every story has a moral and in this case the moral is simple: if a creative work (in this case, the Gruffalo) is protected by copyright, then permission is normally necessary to reuse it. Using a copyright work without permission may be copyright infringement, leading to take-down notices, letters and, in some cases, fines. This applies to any works protected by copyright, including articles, books, music, images and software that we use in lectures, course assignents, dissertations, social media, publications and any other works.

Using copyright exceptions

Does this mean that, unless we get permission or a licence from the rights owners we should never use other people’s materials? Of course not. While in some cases (such as the Gruffalo trail) permission is the best option, relying on copyright exceptions and fair dealing can support our scholarly and creative activities. Like the resourceful and imaginative mouse in the Gruffalo stories, as users and creators of copyright materials we can, and should consider, relying on these exceptions when they apply.

Understanding copyright and making decisions based on this understanding is at the core of what we call ‘copyright literacy’. A new UCL copyright literacy community has been set up to help you navigate the ‘deep dark woods’ of copyright along with peers, in a relaxed and friendly environment.

To learn more about copyright and exceptions:

• Join the new UCL Copyright Literacy Community today. Share the link with anyone else at UCL you think might be interested.
• Register to play the Copyright for Humans game: a card game involving copyright debates, nonsensical answers and optional singing for extra points. Copyright knowledge is not necessary for joining. If you cannot make the scheduled date, you can contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk to arrange a different session. 
• Complete the self-paced online Copyright Essentials tutorial to learn a few things about copyright, open licences and Yoda.
• If you are at the Student Centre on Thursday the 27th of March any time between 12 and 4 pm, join our stand to say hello, see a quick demo of the copyright game and have some treats. Looking forward to seeing you there.

 

 

 

 

Happy 2025! What’s new in copyright?

By Christina Daouti, on 15 January 2025

Happy New Year and welcome to the new term at UCL!

New works in the public domain

2025 already promises to be exciting in terms of copyright. For one thing, on the first of January many new literary, artistic and musical works entered the public domain (i.e. copyright expired, making it possible to reuse these works without permission).

Please note that a work can be out of copyright in one country but still protected in other countries. In the UK and in any other country where copyright lasts for 70 years from the death of the author, the following works are now out of copyright (for a more comprehensive list, see the relevant Wikipedia page).

Artists Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse and Andre Derain died in 1954 and, as of 1 January 2025, their works are out of copyright in the UK.  Likewise, the writings of Alan Turing, Colette and Kalki Krishnamurthy are now free of copyright restrictions in any country where the term of copyright is 70 years or more from the death of the author.

E. C. Segar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Different rules on copyright duration apply in different countries: in the US, for example, the character of Popeye, already out of copyright in the UK, entered the public domain in its native US this year.

For a playful approach to understanding the public domain, please visit Erica Levi’s interactive game at Coventry University.

Copyright games and online tutorials

Speaking  of playful…this year we will be building on last year’s tradition  of introducing copyright in colourful, playful and collaborative ways. We continue to offer sessions of the Copyright Dough game (developed by Katrine Sundsbø and Hannah Pyman at the University of Essex in 2019) where you have the chance to create, use (and possibly infringe) playdough creatures. If you prefer heated discussions without the playdough, the Copyright for Humans card game, offering you the chance to voice your opinions about copyright in new ways, is the right game for you. If you are interested in arranging a session to play either game, please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk. Scheduled sessions will also be advertised soon – keep your eyes open for a public event at the Student Centre in March! Or, if you feel less sociable, take our entry-level, self-paced, Star-Wars-inspired online tutorial on copyright essentials and may the Force be with you…

Join our new UCL Copyright Literacy Community

Image generated from Microsoft Copilot on 15 January 2025.

Why copyright literacy? Why a community? Can an understanding of copyright make our research and learning more open and collaborative, our lives more creative and our professional activities more informed?

This blog post will not give you the answers, but joining our new UCL community on Teams will. You will have the chance to discuss rights issues with other people here at UCL, participate in events, co-create resources and enrich your CV.

Join the brand-new community on Teams.

Copyright and AI

It’s 2025: it doesn’t feel right to write about anything without mentioning AI. Have a look at our newly released guidance on copyright and GenAI and keep an eye on upcoming communications on this topic, including the government’s open consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence.

To learn more about copyright

• Register to attend a training session – introductions to copyright for staff and PGRs and specialised training on publishing agreements and open licences. If you prefer, contact us to discuss a bespoke session for your department.
• Visit the UCL copyright website.
• Use our support service. For specific questions, e-mail copyright@ucl.ac.uk or schedule an appointment on Teams or in person.

The twelve gifts of copyright

By Christina Daouti, on 2 December 2024

Source: Mateusz Walendzik on Pexels.

As 2024 comes to a close, we look back at what the copyright support service in LCCOS has brought you over the year:

One copyright literacy strategy

The draft strategy sets our vision for developing copyright literacy across UCL. We seek to develop a culture in which copyright literacy informs decisions people make around research, learning, teaching and professional activities. How will we do this? Read about our values and proposed activities and have a say in how the startegy is shaped and implemented. You can access the document on Sway and give feedback via the embedded form. Consultation ends on 13 December 2024.

Two online tutorials

• UCL Copyright Essentials introduces copyright through simple scenarios, including Star-Wars-based examples. Should we be using these images and music or are Stormtroopers about to arrest us? Complete the 30 minute tutorial in your own time.
• Our Copyright and your teaching online tutorial addresses copyright with busy lecturers in mind. It is built around artist’s Christian Marclay’s The Clock to discuss how materials can be used creatively in new contexts. You can choose which sections to complete (e.g., licences, copyright exceptions, AI) and get back to this resource at any time.

Three education licences

UCL holds three licences that support the use of books, articles, images, news articles and broadcasts in teaching and learning. These are the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) licence, the NLA licence and the ERA licence. Many more licences with publishers and suppliers allow you to access and use a very large number of e-journals, databases and other resources.

Four playful sessions

We ran four sessions where we played a version of the Copyright Dough game,  developed by Katrine Sundsbø and Hannah Pyman at the University of Essex in 2019…

and a new card game, Copyright for Humans, developed by Christine Daoutis at UCL in 2024. Both games are a fun and engaging way of learning about the nuances of copyright. If you are interested in arranging a session to play either game, please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk.

Five golden rules!

• When using materials protected by copyright, permission is the default option…
• …but it is not always necessary. Copyright may have expired; materials may already be openly licensed allowing reuse or you may be able to rely on a copyright exception.
• Know your rights: do you own the copyright to the materials you create?
• If you own the copyright, consider licensing your work to make it open and reusable by others.
• The fifth rule is that exceptions are just as important as rules. Learn more about copyright to understand how exceptions, interpretation and risk affect decisions we make around copyright.

Created using Microsoft Copilot on 2 December 2024.

(Guidance on:)

Six open licences (Creative Commons) 

Creative Commons licences are legal tools that allow materials that are protected by copyright to be reused under terms specified in each licence. All licences require that the author of the work be attributed. Non-commercial reuse, no adaptations and licensing under the same terms may or may not be requirements of a CC licence. You can see relevant guidance on the UCL copyright website and on the UCL Open Science blog. We also run on-demand sessions on open licensing.

Image: Creative Commons sticker logo. Source: CC website.  

Image by Freepik

Seven web resources

Have a look at the following pages and reading lists, which were most recently created/updated on the copyright website:

• Copyright and your research publications
• Copyright for research data and software
• Copyright and text data mining
• Copyright and your thesis
• Avoiding copyright infringement: the use of images
• Copyright for students
• Reading list: Finding and using copyright-protected materials
• Reading list: research on copyright literacy 

Eight consultations 

We can meet you online or in person to offer advice on various copyright topics. The most popular ones this year were: how to protect and mark a work as your copyright; how to license publications, websites, research data and projects; advice on ownership in collaborative projects; reviewing policies in archives; digitising and licensing out-of-copyright materials; using images from archives and museums in theses; copyright considerations in GenAI;  use of materials in open educational resources. Book an appointment or email copyright@ucl.ac.uk.

Nine training sessions 

In term 1 alone we ran 9 scheduled sessions, as part of the library skills programme, for research staff, professional services staff and postgraduate students. These are delivered over Teams or in person. Additional sessions are available on demand for students and staff in Faculties and professional services departments. Register for a session in term 2 or contact us on copyright@ucl.ac.uk to arrange a session.

Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik

Ten types of queries 

The most popular queries are about using images, using an author’s own article in a thesis, choosing a licence for a publication or thesis, licensing research data, clarifying ownership of IP, dealing with/avoiding infringement, linking or embedding materials in teaching resources, using copyright exceptions, understanding terms and conditions in social media platforms and GenAI tools, and terms of publishing agreements.

Eleven brilliant teams

More than one team in LCCOS works with and supports copyright as part of various roles. In addition to the copyright service: the teaching and learning services team managing reading lists; the library skills team, the site librarians and subject librarians; the interlibrary loans team, the open science and open access teams, the LCCOS communications team, UCL Press and the museums and archives teams offer copyright support on a daily basis.

Twelve blog posts (plus three bonus ones)

In 2024 12 posts discussing copyright were published, either on this blog or as part of the copyright series on the UCL open science blog:

• January 2024: new works in the public domain, good tidings for images, and a new year’s resolution
• A series of 6 blog posts on copyright exceptions during Fair Dealing Week 2024, starting with Keeping it Fair and Honest: How Copyright Exceptions Can Support Your Thesis, Publications, and Teaching.
• Developing a Copyright Literacy Community at UCL
• Copyright Literacy Matters: Developing a Copyright Literacy Strategy at UCL
• How can AI help you with your systematic literature review? Reflections from a two-day seminar. Guest post by Veronica Parisi.

• • How Understanding Copyright Can Help You as a Researcher
  • Copyright and Open Science in the Age of AI: What Can We All Do to Ensure Free and Open Access to Knowledge for All?
  • Copyright and AI Part 1: How Does Copyright Apply to AI-Generated Works?
  • Copyright and AI Part 2: Perceived Challenges, Suggested Approaches, and the Role of Copyright Literacy (with Alex Fenlon and Erica Levi).
  • Text and Data Mining (TDM) and Your Research: Copyright Implications and New Website Guidance.

What next?

We are not asking you to sing along to this version of the twelve days of Christmas; but we do ask you to take part in the consultation on the aims and implementation of the draft copyright literacy strategy. Does it address any gaps you have in understanding, engaging and working with copyright? Are there any topics (e.g. AI, student-created videos, images) we should focus on and any activities and resources we could include in an implementation plan? You can access the document on Sway and give feedback via the embedded form. Consultation ends on 13 December 2024.

Copyright literacy matters: developing a copyright literacy strategy at UCL

By Christina Daouti, on 14 October 2024

If you are a student or a member of staff at UCL, you can shape how UCL approaches copyright literacy.

We seek your views on a UCL Copyright Literacy Strategy. The draft strategy outlines a vision for developing the skills and confidence of the UCL community around copyright as it applies in scholarship, research, teaching and other activities. Does the proposed strategy speak to your needs? Are there gaps in copyright education and support that could be addressed? You may want to comment on the aims of the strategy and further suggest new resources, topics and approaches.

The strategy supports the LCCOS Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Why a UCL Copyright Literacy Strategy?

Copyright literacy helps us understand the contexts within which creative works are produced and used, and to apply this understanding when using and creating copyrighted materials. Copyright literacy helps you use copyrighted materials creatively and confidently, understand your own rights and apply this understanding to your own activities, for example when writing a thesis, sharing materials with colleagues, publishing your research, posting on social media and using images.

More on copyright skills as a critical part of information literacy can be found on the Arena MicroCPD ‘Embedding copyright literacy into your teaching’ [90 seconds] and on the UCL Education Conference post ‘Getting comfortable with uncertainty’: developing students’ critical copyright literacy in the age of GenAI.

Take part in the consultation

Read the draft strategy on Microsoft Sway. You can submit your feedback using the Microsoft form at the end of the document, or you can email copyright@ucl.ac.uk if you prefer.

When viewing on Sway, you can turn on Accessibility view. This view displays a high-contrast style for easier reading, disables any animations, and supports keyboard navigation for use with screen readers.

To turn on Accessibility view:

• If you’re using a mouse or touchscreen, on the More options menu (shown as three dots on the Sway toolbar), choose Accessibility view.
• If you’re using a screen reader, on the More options menu, when Accessibility view is selected, you hear “Displays this Sway in a high contrast design with full keyboard functionality and screen reader access to all content.”

You can also create PDFs by clicking the ‘…’ menu option in the top right corner of the Sway, clicking ‘export’ and choosing PDF.

The consultation closes on 13 December 2024. A final version of the strategy will be made live in January 2025. Any interim questions can be emailed to copyright@ucl.ac.uk.

Current copyright resources

Self-paced tutorial introducing copyright, permissions and exceptions in an interactive and accessible way.

Book a training session, held on Teams or in person.

Visit the UCL copyright website for advice on various aspects of copyright.

Copyright and GenAI: new post on UCL Open Science blog.

By Christina Daouti, on 21 June 2024

How does copyright apply to AI-generated works?

Read our guest post in the Copyright and Open Science series.

If you have any questions on copyright, please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk. You may also be interested in our copyright resources and training.

Developing a Copyright Literacy Community at UCL

By Christina Daouti, on 29 April 2024

Copyright literacy – the ‘knowledge, skills and behaviours that individuals require when working with copyright content in the digital age’ (Morrison and Secker, 2015) – is an essential part of academic and professional skillsets. It is also much more than complying with licences and the law. It is about understanding how copyright came to be, what it seeks to achieve, whose interests are relevant and how it can be used as a tool to make knowledge more open and collaborative.

At UCL we have a service, a range of resources and an education programme to support and advise staff and students on various aspects to copyright.  This is informed and constantly updated based on feedback from participants, common queries that we receive, and developments that raise new issues to address, such as copyright in AI-generated works. However, to develop copyright literacy in ways that are most relevant and helpful to you, we would like to work with you.

‘Apple harvest’ by Camille Pissarro, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

We are setting up the UCL Copyright Literacy Community to give all UCL staff and students the opportunity to shape copyright literacy further. We would like to work with you to make the UCL community even more knowledgeable and confident around copyright. Whether you are a student (undergraduate, postgraduate, research student) or a member of staff in a research, teaching or professional services role, we value your ideas and experiences.

• You don’t need to be a copyright expert to join: we anticipate that members of the community will have different levels of copyright knowledge and will learn from eah other. What is needed is an understanding of the relevance of copyright literacy in your area, and a willingness to embed it into your practice.
• As part of the community, you will have the opportunity to advise on the further development of the existing programme, bring forward your own suggestions and prioritise areas where further support is needed. You will work with us to translate these ideas into projects that are directly relevant to your area.
• You will be part of a supportive peer network that discusses all things copyright. We will provide enough steering and resources for you to take the community in directions that help you and your practice area.

In the first instance, we invite UCL staff and students to join a core community of 20 people. The first meeting is being scheduled in late June. We anticipate a broader community to develop later.

If you are interested in joining or would like more information, please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk.

Related articles: ‘Getting comfortable with uncertainty’: developing students’ critical copyright literacy in the age of genAI, by Christine Daoutis and Hazel Ingrey. UCL Education conference blog, April 2024.