Students

The University of Ottawa strongly encourages students to respect the principles of copyright and intellectual property in their educational and other university activities. As a student, you are usually entitled to the copyright and related interests for works you create. Students who copy or communicate copyright-protected works should either obtain the permission of the copyright holder or be satisfied that copying or communicating the works falls within one of the exceptions in the Copyright Act. The University is not liable for any infringing copies made or communicated by students including such copies made or communicated using copiers or scanners made available by the University.

You should make every effort to rely on the University’s Fair dealing guidelines, on materials which do not require a permission – see Using electronic resources, Alternatives to copyright, and Creative Commons and open access – or on the various exceptions that could apply to you – see Exceptions to copyright.

For information about using copyright protected materials in your thesis, see Copyright and your thesis.

Students can use copyright-protected material such as images, video, music and advertisements for academic purposes in the same way as books, journals and other materials. This material, including visual art, can generally be included in assignments and class presentations, as long as it falls under the “fair dealing” exemption or an educational exception to copyright (see Exceptions to Copyright).

However, if you would like to publish, distribute or exhibit your assignment or presentation in a public forum or gallery, you may need permission from the copyright holder. For more information, see Asking for Permission or contact the Copyright Office.

In a non-academic setting, you may be able to use copyright-protected materials to create new, unique works under the “Remix” exception, by following certain conditions (see “Remix Exception” under Exceptions to Copyright).

Students can also perform copyright-protected works in the classroom. You can also perform a copyright protected work publicly as long as it is performed on campus, for a student/instructor-majority audience and not for profit (see “Performances” under Exceptions to Copyright). You should not record such performances other than for evaluation purposes and with the permission of the performers, and you cannot distribute (for example, on YouTube) or sell any recordings of the performance.

For performance of copyright-protected works off campus, for the general public or for commercial purposes, you generally require permission from the copyright holder (for more information, see Asking for Permission or contact the Copyright Office).

Copyright holders for major works such as musicals, hit songs, plays and novels generally have very strict policies regarding copyright and improper distribution of their materials. Do not assume that “no-one will notice” if you post a recording or evidence of use of a copyright-protected work online without following the legal guidelines. Content and information can be shared quickly online, so it is very likely that the copyright holders will know you have used their material, which could have legal consequences.

Copyright is part of a family of rights that are generally referred to as “intellectual property”. Other types of intellectual property include patents, industrial design, and trademarks, which apply to inventions, product designs, and brands, respectively.

For more information, see Other forms of intellectual property.