Subject Guides: Copyright: a Practical Guide: Home

Copyright basics

Copyright is...

a form of intellectual property, protecting the economic and moral rights of creators;
an automatic right: there's no need to register your works for copyright protection;
not permanent: copyright protection usually lasts 70 years from the death of the creator;
legislated in the UK by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA).

Creative Commons licences work alongside existing copyright to let other people know what they can do with your work without having to ask your permission.

Our Creative Commons Practical Guide covers the range of Creative Commons legal tools available and the benefits and considerations for both creators and users of licensed works.

Need help?

If you can't find the information you need in this Practical Guide then you can contact Library, Archives and Learning Services for advice:

Undergraduate students and Taught Postgraduates: take a look at the page for students or contact your Faculty Librarian
Teaching staff: take a look at the page for teachers or contact the Reading Lists team (for anything related to course reading, digitisation or alternative format provision), your Faculty Librarian (for anything related to teaching) or the Digital Education Team (for anything related to the VLE or Panopto)
Research staff and Research Postgraduates: take a look at the page for researchers or contact the Open Research team
Archival researchers: take a look at the page for researchers or contact the Borthwick Institute for Archives

Otherwise, please email lib-enquiry@york.ac.uk and your enquiry will be dealt with by the appropriate team

The copyright guidance presented here is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.

The University accepts no liability for any errors, omissions, or misleading statements in these pages, or for any loss which may arise from reliance on materials contained in these pages.