In educational settings, it is often necessary to use copyrighted materials for the purpose of teaching and learning. For example, a lecturer may need to copy a chapter from a book for a module reading list. Or show a copyrighted image or an entire film recording to a class for the purpose of learning and study. In order to do this legally, small sections of the the materials can be shared using the exception of 'fair dealing'. Often the small amounts permitted by fair dealing are not enough. This is where blanket educational licences come in to play.
Educational Licences
Educational licences typically offer the licence holder the ability to legally copy a range of resources within clear limits, set out by the licence terms and conditions. These limits are substantially more the amounts permitted under fair dealing. Many groups of copyright owners can be represented by a collecting society such as The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) or The Educational Recording Agency, for example.
The society then negotiates and agree licences with users on behalf of owners and collects any royalties the owners are owed. Several blanket licences have been negotiated for the UK Education sector. The University of Sunderland currently holds the following educational licences that enable us to legally copy and share our library resources with our students for the purpose of teaching and learning.
| Licence | What it covers | Further information | Link to Licence Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Copyright Licensing Agency Higher Education (CLAHE) Licence | photocopying or scanning of works held by the University for educational purposes. | This is the main licence that affects day to day copying at the library. The licence enables nominated staff within the library digitization team to make copies of book chapters and journal articles which can then be made available electronically via Library Reading Lists. Find out how to make a request from our dedicated digitization service guide. | https://www.cla.co.uk/licence-documents/higher-education-licence-documents/ |
| The NLA Licence | photocopying of articles from some national and regional newspapers. |
NLA and CLA are separate copyright licensing organisations. Newspaper Licencing Agency (NLA) manages the licensing of copyrighted material from newspapers, selected magazines and media sites in print and digital. While NLA and CLA are both copyright licenses, and CLA acts as the exclusive agent for all of NLA’s UK education licensing, they cover different repertoires of copyrighted material. |
https://www.cla.co.uk/licence-documents/nla-education-establishment-licence-documents/ |
| The Educational Recording Agency (ERA) | Recordings from UK TV and radio broadcasts | On behalf of its Members, ERA operates a Licensing Scheme for the educational use of television and radio broadcasts. Uniquely serving the UK education sector, ERA is one of a range of collecting societies which help copyright owners and performers derive an income from the licensed use of their literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. The ERA Licence enables staff and students of the university to use recordings of TV and radio broadcasts in teaching/study/research using university Box of Broadcasts access. | https://era.org.uk/schedule-to-the-era-licence/ |
| Creative Commons | Creative Commons (CC) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to developing practical solutions, and advocating for better open sharing of knowledge and culture that serves the public interest. They help overcome legal obstacles to the sharing of knowledge and creativity through the provision of a suite of creative commons licencing options. You may wish to use content that is licenced with Creative Commons in your teaching or you may wish to utilise the Creative Commons licence to protect and share your own research. See the Creative Commons website for more information. |
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| Who | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| UK Government | Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 | The principal legislation on UK copyright |
| UK Government | Government guidance on the 2014 copyright exceptions | Documents explaining the 2014 copyright exceptions. Especially relevant are: education and teaching, research, libraries, archives and museums. |
| The UK Copyright Service | https://copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/copyright | An introduction to copyright |
| The UK Copyright Service | https://copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law | Fact sheet on UK Copyright Law |
| CopyrightUser.org | Copyright User | Lots of information on copyright, with specific sections on education and libraries, using copyright exceptions and a great FAQ page |
| Learning on Screen | Learning on Screen code of fair practice | The Code of Fair Practice will support you in navigating the complex landscape of copyright and promote the lawful use of audiovisual materials for educational purposes. This Code aims to provide valuable guidance and promote best practices in film education. |