Copyright Policy

1. Introduction
2. Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom
3. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
4. Definitions
5. Policy
6. Procedure
7. Advice and guidance
8. Failure to comply
9. Review

Download a copy of the Copyright Policy (PDF).

1. Introduction

City St George's, University of London respects the principle of copyright protection for all works created by third parties and expects staff and students to do likewise. The University seeks to comply with UK copyright legislation, including the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and associated regulations, and to adhere to the terms of relevant copyright licences.

Infringements of copyright legislation or licence terms by any individual may result in legal action against the individual and/or the University. City St George's regards copyright infringement as a serious matter and may take disciplinary action where appropriate.

2. Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom

2.1 City St George's, University of London, regards freedom of speech and academic freedom to be fundamental to delivering its mission as the University of business, practice and the professions. Its values in this respect are set out in a code of practice on freedom of speech and academic freedom, which explains how the University will uphold, secure, and promote freedom of speech within the law.

2.2 Nothing in this policy should be interpreted in any way that would be inconsistent with the code of practice and - in the event of any inconsistency - the provisions of the code will prevail.

3. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

3.1 City St George's, University of London works to advance equality, diversity and inclusion in its activities, processes, and culture, for the whole University community, including staff, students and visitors.

3.2 The University will meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 in its policies and seek to eliminate discrimination on the basis of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital status, neurodiversity, pregnancy, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background,

4. Definitions

Statutory exception: a use of copyright material permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 without requiring permission from the copyright holder, subject to the conditions of the relevant exception.

Third-party copyright material: material in which copyright is owned by someone other than the individual using the material.

5. Policy

City St George's is committed to complying with copyright and the terms of relevant copyright licences.

Staff, students, and others working on behalf of the University are expected to make lawful use of third-party copyright material and to comply with this policy, associated guidance, and relevant licence terms.

5.1 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for the lawful use of third-party material within City St George's activities, in accordance with copyright law and relevant licence terms.

5.2 Scope

This policy applies to the use of third-party copyright material within the scope of City St George's activities.

This includes copyright material in any format, including text, images, databases, graphic designs and logos, sound recordings, films and broadcasts, software and computer programs. This policy applies regardless of how or where material is accessed, copied, stored, communicated or made available.

This policy does not cover City St George's ownership of copyright in materials created by staff or students. For queries about copyright in work created by staff and students, see the Intellectual Property Policies:

• Clerkenwell and Moorgate campuses
• Tooting campus

Alternatively, contact the Research and Enterprise Department: City St George's, University of London, email techtransfer@citystgeorges.ac.uk for further advice and assistance.

This policy does not cover the use of IT facilities provided or arranged by City St George's. For queries about this see the IT user regulations for the Clerkenwell and Moorgate campuses and the IT Conditions of Use Policy for the Tooting campus.

5.3 Roles and responsibilities

Individual staff, students, and others working on behalf of the University are responsible for ensuring that their use of third-party copyright material complies with copyright law and relevant licence terms.

The Copyright Librarian is responsible for providing advice and guidance relating to copyright compliance.

Deans and Heads of Department are responsible for supporting implementation of this policy and associated guidance within their areas.

6. Procedure

Before copying or otherwise using third-party copyright material, individuals must consider whether the intended use is:

• permitted under copyright law, including statutory exceptions
• permitted under the terms of a relevant licence, or
• authorised by the copyright holder.

Where permission from the copyright holder is required, records of permissions obtained should be retained for as long as the material remains in use.

Particular care should be taken when using third-party copyrighted material in recorded lectures and other online teaching and learning activities, as some material may not lawfully be included in recordings or made available online, including through virtual learning environments such as Moodle or Canvas.

When linking to online material, individuals should not knowingly link to material that has been has been made available unlawfully and should take reasonable steps to establish that the source is legitimate where there is reason for doubt.

Staff and students should consult the University's copyright guidance and seek further advice where required.

7. Advice and guidance

City St George's provides detailed guidance on copyright law and the institutional licences to which it is a signatory, including The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) HE licence, the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA) licence, the Educational Recording Agency (ERA) licence, and the CLA NHS licence.

Copyright notices explaining how to make compliant copies will be displayed adjacent to all relevant equipment that may be used for reproducing copyrighted materials.

Staff or students who require advice or guidance relating to copyright compliance or the use of third-party copyright material may contact the Copyright Librarian at digilib@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

8. Failure to comply

Any misconduct or breach relating to this policy by any City St George's employee may lead to disciplinary action under the appropriate procedures:

• Clerkenwell and Moorgate campuses Disciplinary Procedure
• Tooting campus Disciplinary Procedure

Any misconduct or breach relating to this policy by a City St George's student may constitute academic misconduct and may be dealt with under the University's student disciplinary procedures.

9. Review

This policy is reviewed every 3 years by the Copyright Librarian and approved by the Library Leadership Team.

Should you require further information regarding this policy or access to the policy in an alternative format, contact library@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

Policy title: Copyright Policy (Library)

Policy version: V2

Primary author: Copyright Librarian

Related policies: Takedown Policy

Accountable authority: Director of Library Services

Approving authority: Library Leadership Team

Date of approval: July 2026

Policy effective from: July 2026

Date of review: July 2029