Copyright can seem complex and overwhelming but once you understand the basic principles you have nothing to fear. Contrary to popular belief, copyright is there to help people use the work of others to advance knowledge and offers a set of rules which help this to be achieved legally. These resources will help you to navigate the world of copyright and how you can use it to your advantage.
Copyright is an automatic right that comes into force once a work has been produced in a fixed form, for example by being written down. It exists to offer a protection to those creating content and offer clear guidelines on what others can do with their work. Building on the work of others is a vital part of academic practice but it is important the this work is credited fairly. The resources in this section outline the basics of copyright for researchers and cover what you REALLY need to know.
Open licensing is an important part of the process of Open Research. It offers you the chance to share your materials with the wider world in a way which specifies exactly what they will allow others to do with them. Not only does this help you to make a bigger impact with your work but it also enables others looking to build on this work to know which types of use are allowed without having to go through complex copyright clearance procedures. This section contains resources on Creative Commons licenses - one of the most popular global open licenses.
