Copyright and licences in everyday work

Skills you'll practise

• Explain that copyright arises automatically and that material found online is usually protected
• Choose a lawful source for an image, music track or font and check the licence terms against the intended use
• Apply Creative Commons licence elements (BY, SA, NC, ND, CC0) and write a TASL attribution
• Recognize who generally owns work made by employees and by commissioned freelancers, and when a written agreement is needed
• Recognize when a use depends on fair use or fair dealing and escalate it rather than relying on a rule of thumb
• Keep a licence record for content used in published material

Course outline

1. 1.Copyright and licences in everyday workVideo · 3 min
2. 2.Copyright basics for everyoneLesson · 15 min
3. 3.Licences, Creative Commons and ownershipLesson · 15 min
4. 4.Exceptions, AI-generated material and keeping recordsLesson · 15 min
5. 5.Copyright and licences in everyday work: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 19 questions
6. 6.Final exam11 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright in General (FAQ): protection from the moment a work is created and fixed; registration generally voluntary
• U.S. Copyright Office: What Does Copyright Protect? (FAQ): facts, ideas, names, titles and short phrases are not protected
• U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 1, Copyright Basics (works made for hire)
• U.S. Copyright Office: Fair Use Index (the four factors; case-by-case, no fixed amount)
• U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (registration guidance and Part 2: Copyrightability report)
• GOV.UK: How copyright protects your work (automatic protection; no UK register)
• GOV.UK (IPO): Exceptions to copyright (fair dealing; criticism, review and quotation with sufficient acknowledgement)
• GOV.UK (IPO): Copyright notice: digital images, photographs and the internet (employee and commissioned images, licensing)
• Creative Commons: About CC Licenses (BY, SA, NC, ND; the six licences; CC0)
• Creative Commons wiki: Recommended practices for attribution (TASL: Title, Author, Source, License)
• General workplace practice (awareness level; local law and your organization's policies govern)