Copyright and teaching
As a teacher, you can copy and communicate copyrighted material for UQ educational purposes. The materials provided must comply with our licences.
Your learning resources
Preparing learning resources
Work with the our Learning Resources team when you are preparing your learning resources.
We can provide advice and copyright-friendly methods of access to learning resources so they comply with the University's statutory licences.
Link to materials in Learn.UQ (Blackboard)
Link to works such as journal articles and ebooks/etextbooks in Learn.UQ so your students can go to the publisher’s website to use or download the work themselves.
Our agreements with publishers do not allow us to provide a file to students directly within Learn.UQ.
Reuse of teaching materials from other institutions
Under the University's Intellectual Property Policy, UQ retains the copyright in any teaching materials created by staff employed at the University.
This is in line with most other universities around Australia. The reuse of materials developed while you were employed at another institution will require you to seek permission from that institution.
Summary of materials you can provide for teaching
This summary outlines the rules for providing non-UQ copyright material to students for education purposes under our statutory and commercial licences.
If the article is only available in hard copy form, you may use:
- one article from a journal issue, or
- more articles from the same issue if they are on the same topic.
This includes books, poems, plays, scripts, scores and sheet music.
You can copy 10% of the total number of pages, or 1 chapter (whichever is greater).
You may be able to copy more than 10% or 1 chapter if the work is:
- not available for purchase as it is out of print or unpublished
- a published edition – where the underlying work is out of copyright (e.g. works by Shakespeare or Mozart) but copyright applies to the layout and editing of that particular edition.
Email us at copyright@library.uq.edu.au. We can advise on the print status and available copies.
This includes digital images, photographs, graphs and diagrams.
Material from a journal article: submit an online permission request via the article using the publisher's copyright requesting system.
In most cases, you will not be charged for this use, but permission is required.
Image from another electronic source (e.g. a website): you can use the image.
Check the Copyright and music guide for the use of recorded music.
Streaming services
Review the terms of service for your account with the platform before screening material in class. Where a screening is against the terms of service, consider setting the film as required viewing for your students who can arrange their own access to the platform.
Netflix allows for educational screenings of certain documentaries. Visit the Netflix Educational screenings of documentaries help page for details.
Commercial DVD
You can show a film or TV program from a commercial DVD to students in class.
Email us at copyright@library.uq.edu.au for alternative options if a physical classroom screening is not possible.
TV and radio broadcasts can be included in teaching materials. Any broadcast received in Australia is covered.
Link to content on platforms such as ABC iView.
Where possible, provide a link to the podcast.
In some cases, podcasts can be downloaded. Email us at copyright@library.uq.edu.au for more information.
Provide a link to the website. Avoid linking to sites that host infringing content.
If you want to print or download material, check the Terms and Conditions of the website.
You must always seek a software licence. There are no provisions in the Act for reproducing or communicating computer software.
edX (Edge)
Courses on edX (Edge) are often subject to different copyright rules than those on Learn.UQ (Blackboard). This includes courses that are publicly available massive open online courses (MOOCs).
In general, we cannot provide access to resources that require UQ credentials in such courses (such as journal articles that are available through one of the Library’s agreements with publishers).
Email us at copyright@library.uq.edu.au for more information about materials that can be provided to students via the edX (Edge) platform.
Contact us for copyright advice for teaching
Email us at copyright@library.uq.edu.au for more information about the copyright and your teaching.