Copyright and Intellectual Property
Consent and acknowledgement
Creating content raises a number of legal issues which you need to be aware of to ensure that you protect the intellectual property of the University and do not expose yourself or the University to third party liabilities.
When using recordings owned by the University, students and staff should always assert the University’s rights by stating (c) [year of creation] University of Leeds.
You should take steps to ensure that the materials you use are used in accordance with copyright and attributed correctly. For example, a YouTube clip or research participant data may be included in a recording only where it is lawful to do so and ethical requirements have been met. Additional clearances may be required. It must not be assumed that if an activity is educational “it will be alright”.
Ownership and Authorship
Content by University staff and students
In accordance with the University’s Policy on Intellectual Property Rights, all rights to teaching materials (including audio and video recordings) created by staff or students will belong to the University.
We recommend that you include any copyright or licence attributes either as part of your audio-video content (such as a slide with © University of Leeds) or you include any such details in the description attached to the content.
Students or staff should wherever practicable look to assert a right to be identified as an author or performer. Individuals will need to come forward at the time the recording is made and assert these rights.
Content by Visitors
As a general default position visitors will retain their rights in their materials and in a recording made of them or by them. However, the visitor allows the University under non-exclusive licence, the right to use the recording in the most general terms available.
In particular the University may use the recording for any purpose, free of charge, in perpetuity and with the right to take legal action against any party breaching the University’s rights.
Visitors should confirm that they comply with copyright and have all the permissions to grant the University the non-exclusive licence to use any recording made of them.
Open Education Resource
If you wish to publish your content under a creative commons licence in line with the University's policy to encourage Open Educational Resources, then visit Creative Commons licences for more information.
Find out more
For further information on copyright and legal matters please contact copyright@leeds.ac.uk or visit the University Library webpages on copyright and licences
Further resources
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- The Copyright Explainer: use this interactive tool to learn more about how copyright applies to your work
- Copyright for Staff: join this Minerva Organisation to find checklists that help you determine what you should do about copyright depending on your activities
- Find free content for reuse: find a list of recommended sites with free-to-use content (images, audio, video) you can repurpose for your needs