
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:
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!”.