Photocopying Guidelines
What the photocopying licence covers
What the photocopying licence does not cover
Which students are covered by the licence
Recouping the costs of photocopies
Copies for commercial research
Copying for visually impaired and disabled persons
The University of Bristol has a basic licence (NB not the comprehensive HE licence) with the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which permits staff and students, in certain circumstances, to make multiple photocopies and scan extracts from printed books and printed journals. Click here to see a copy of the University’s CLA licence. The licence requires strict conditions to be satisfied – see below for more information. The purpose of the licence is to enable the University to pay creators of certain copyright material fairly for the use of that material.
What the photocopying licence covers
With the exception of Excluded Material (see below), the licence covers the photocopying of published material (original editions of books, looseleaf works, law reports, periodicals and journals) that is published in the UK and in the following territories: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada (including Quebec), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. The CLA website should always be checked to ensure that this list has not been amended. There are also some US publishers that are specifically excluded from all CLA licences – please see the List of Excluded US Publishers on the CLA website for further information.
Excluded Material – the CLA licence expressly prohibits the photocopying of the following:
- Printed music (including the words);
- Maps, charts;
- Newspapers;
- Any work on which the copyright owner has expressly and prominently stated that it may not be copied under a CLA licence;
- Individual works which are included on the CLA’s list of Excluded Works for the HE Licence – please see the CLA website for this. Note that individual works may be excluded from material licensed for photocopying, or from material licensed for scanning, or both.
- Individual works published by any publishers named on the List of Excluded US Publishers – please see the CLA website for this.
Unless written permission is obtained from the relevant rightsholder, the University must either own an original, or a copy supplied on a copyright fee paid basis (e.g. from the British Library Document Supply Centre), of the work that is being photocopied under the CLA licence.
What the photocopying licence does not cover
The CLA licence does NOT cover the following:
- Electronic downloads, e.g. from electronic journals (please see separate advice on Information Services website);
- Printed music (including the words);
- Maps or charts (although the University has a separate licence with Ordnance Survey);
- Newspapers (although the University has a separate licence from the Newspaper Licensing Agency Ltd);
- Any work on which the copyright owner has expressly and prominently stipulated that it may not be copied under the Licence.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. Certain works may be specifically excluded from the CLA licence.
Limits on copying
Any copies distributed or made available to staff or students under the CLA licence must not, during any one Course of Study (this is defined as any whole course of study, or any segment of it, that is normally regarded by the University as a discrete and self-contained unit for the purposes of examination or assessment – or, in the case of a non-credit bearing course, that particular course), exceed either singly or in aggregate the greater of 5% of any published edition, or:
- In the case of a book, one complete chapter;
- In the case of an article in an issue of a serial publication or in a set of conference proceedings, one whole article;
- In the case of an anthology of short stories or poems one short story or poem not exceeding 10 pages in length;
- In the case of a published report of judicial proceedings, the entire report of a single case.
No systematic or repeated copying beyond these limits is allowed. Any copies made must not exceed the number needed to ensure that each recipient of instruction, or student and each teacher, has one copy.
It should be noted that these volume limits are an aggregate for scanning and photocopying.
Which students are covered by the licence?
The licence covers all full-time and part-time students, including distance-learning students.
Recouping the cost of photocopies
The cost of photocopying course material for students can be recouped by the University, but only to cover the cost of production and not for profit. Materials copied under the CLA licence cannot be sold or hired.
Copies for inspections
The CLA licence also covers, solely in connection with their inspections, people engaged in inspections for the Quality Assurance Agency or a Research Assessment Exercise (or for other bodies or exercises which may perform similar functions).
Copies for commercial research
Staff and students may make a single paper copy and supply it to employees of a third party who has provided research funding, in connection with the research project for which the funding was supplied. This is provided that:
- The single paper copy is not further copied or reproduced; and
- A copyright legend is attached (this must be in the form as set out at Schedule 4 to the CLA licence).
Note that the terms and conditions of the CLA licence also apply to copies made for commercial research (including the limits on copying).
Copying for visually impaired and disabled persons
Where a staff or student member who is visually impaired or disabled (within the meaning of applicable statutes) is unable to read or access a paper (or a digital) copy made under the terms of the CLA licence, an accessible copy of part or the whole of the work can be made, which is more accessible to that staff or student member. This is provided that:
- The accessible copy is only used for the benefit of the University’s affected staff/ students;
- The University must own at least one original copy of any work from which it makes an accessible copy;
- The work is not already commercially available in an accessible format; and
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Each accessible copy which exceeds the volume limit contains the following:
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A statement that it is a copy of the original work made under a CLA licence for the personal use of a visually impaired or a disabled person and that it may not be further copied (including any electronic copying or transmission) or dealt with without permission or save as may be permitted by law;
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The title, as well as the name of the author and publisher, of the original work and the published edition from which it is copied.
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- The cost of supplying an accessible copy can be recouped by the University, but the cost charged must not exceed the cost of making and supplying the accessible copy.
July 2009