Quick guide to copyright for making digital copies

You may make digital copies for the purposes of private study or research for non-commercial purposes.

Limits

There are limits on the amount of in-copyright work you may copy. The guidelines are:

Non-textual copying:

music and maps: please consult library staff – there are special issues to consider
pictures and photographs: it is difficult to restrict yourself to copying only an ‘extract’, so you should take particular care to ensure the use you make is wholly legitimate (see below).

The following rules apply to your use of digital copies that you make:

You may only store one copy.
You should not make, distribute or use further copies.
You should keep the copy on a non-networked (or otherwise private) computer drive to which only you have access.
You should retain details of the source so that you can acknowledge it in any use you make of it.
You do not have the right to use it in your publications (exceptions below).
You may use it in answering examination questions, assessed coursework or in a dissertation.
If you are copying a manuscript or other unique material, you must observe the above rules even if it is out of copyright and seek the library’s permission for other uses.

Duration of copyright can be complicated, especially for non-textual and unpublished works. The basic rules for expiration of copyright are:

Textual works and artistic works: 70 years after the death of the author; 70 years after publication for anonymous works and works produced by a corporation or institution with no personal author identified
UK Crown copyright works: the earlier of 75 years after publication and 125 years after creation
Photographs created before June 1957: 70 years from creation, but if published in that time, 70 years from publication
Photographs created June 1957 – July 1989: 31 December 2050, but if published in that time, 70 years from publication
Photographs created after July 1989: 70 years after the death of the photographer