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Copyright exceptions

University licences

You may be able to copy or record copyrighted material under the terms of University licences.

Photocopying and scanning

Under the CLA Photocopying and Scanning Licence you can:

  • make photocopies from books, ebooks, magazines, journals and websites
  • photocopy up to one chapter, article, or 10% of the total pages (whichever is greater) per issue/book
  • make copies for visually impaired students and staff
  • copy from books or journals published in the UK and 38 approved international territories
  • order scans of print material owned by the University from our Online Course Readings service (the same limits apply).

Different rules apply for NHS staff.

Find out more about how these limits might affect you.

Making copies for commercial purposes

The Library is part of the CLA library licence scheme, which allows walk-in users to make copies for commercial purposes upon payment of a fee to the librarian.

If you wish to use this service in any of our libraries please go to the enquiry desk first.

You will need to give the details of what you are copying, and your own personal details (so you can claim back VAT).

You will be charged the standard rate for a CLA-cleared copy, and given a sticker to put on the back of your photocopy.

Recording broadcasts

The University’s Educational Recording Agency (ERA) licence allows:

  • recording of broadcasts from BBC (TV and radio), ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Open University for educational use only
  • viewing both on-campus and off-campus (within the UK)
  • making copies of these recordings for educational use
  • digitising these recordings as long as they are made available in a password-protected environment and limited to access by University staff and students within the UK

The licence does not allow you to adapt recorded material or to record from “catch-up” services.

You must not sell these recordings or perform them to a paid audience.

Copying newspapers

The Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA) licence (PDF) allows copying of articles from printed and online versions of any UK national newspaper as well up to five regional newspapers. The licence generally applies to magazines and supplements but does not cover the Times Literary, Higher Education or Education supplements.

The licence allows you to:

  • print articles
  • photocopy articles (for study packs for instance)
  • scan and upload to an internal and secure intranet or Minerva
  • email copies of articles to students and staff.

You must ensure that any copies are labelled “NLA licensed copy. No further copies may be made except under licence.”

You must not copy photographs, advertisements or a complete newspaper.