This Fair Dealing Week is coming to a close. This blog has clarified a few points on copyright, copyright exceptions and fair dealing:

• ‘Free to access’ does not necessarily mean ‘free to reuse’. In other words, images and other materials you may discover on the Internet and are available to access, are not necessarily available for reuse without permission (e.g. to share on your own website, adapt or include in a thesis or article), unless they are licensed for reuse, for example with a Creative Commons licence. In some cases, however, materials may be used by relying on a copyright exception.
• Acknowledging the source is usually necessary, but does not replace the need for permission; nor does it constitute fair dealing by itself.
• Similarly, non-commercial use does not remove the need to get permission.
• There is no specified amount of material that can be used when relying on fair dealing exceptions in copyright.

These points highlight a broader approach when it comes to copyright: many copyright decisions will depend on context, personal judgement and risk. Recent discussions around copyright and artificial intelligence highlight these points further, as the very concepts of what is original/protected by copyright, what constitutes infringement and who owns an AI-generated work are challenged.

Copyright support at UCL provides resources and training to help you navigate this uncertainty: from introducing the essentials of permissions and licensing to explaining how copyright exceptions apply in learning, teaching and research, and from helping you understand and assert your own rights to highlighting recent developments in this area. Further, we will be offering opportunities very soon for different communities at UCL to come together and discuss aspects of copyright most relevant to them.

Learn more

1. Complete our 7-question copyright exceptions quiz.
   This is to help you understand copyright exceptions better: you can submit answers anonymously and we won’t be using your responses for any purpose.
2. Register for one of our sessions, on Teams or in person.
   Our sessions cover copyright for PGRs, research staff and teaching staff; open licences; and publishing contracts. Sessions last up to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
3. Complete the Copyright Essentials online tutorial.
   A self-paced, online tutorial introducing copyright in a fun and approachable way. It takes around 20-25 minutes to complete.

Support

Contact copyright support at copyright@ucl.ac.uk to ask a question, arrange an appointment or schedule your own training session.