Copyright is a right that is bestowed upon an original work such as a book, photo, song, computer software, etc. It is both an ethical type of right where the author must be credited when their work is used, and the other right is commercial which ensures the author the right to sell, copy, and distribute their work with the aim of economic profit.
Expiration of copyright
The copyright of a work expires 70 years after the death of the author. The rules of “Droit Moral” applies after 70 years which means that the author continues to have the right to be credited when their work is used and that the work cannot be used in a violating or infringing way.
When are you allowed to use works without permission?
In some cases, you are allowed to use and share copyright protected works without asking for permission first. You can, to a reasonable extent, cite books, articles, and such. Roskilde University has an agreement with Copydan which manages the copyrights of a large number of authors. This agreement means you can, to some extent, use printed materials and pictures for teaching, projects and assignments that are linked to RUC.
The library’s e-resources and copyright
The library’s electronic materials (such as e-books, databases, and electronic articles) are not included in the Copydan agreement. These have other negotiated license agreements which describe exactly how they are allowed to be used. You can, however, always legally deep link these materials and share them with others in this manner.
The copyright for your publications is, as a general rule, connected to you as a researcher - unless there are other arrangements between you and your workplace/institution. When publishing you need to be aware of whether you write off your copyright to the publisher as this has significance for your right to parallel-publishing, e.g. in relation to a PhD publication, or a publication via PURE, or the publication list on your research profile, or using your work in your teaching etc.
If you are using pictures or illustrations in your publications/books that are not your own, then you have to make sure that you have permission from the originator of the works. If not, then it is illegal, and you are at risk of your article or PhD being refused publication. If you have obtained the rights for usage, then you need to remember to credit the person.
The Committee for Protection of Scientific Work (UBVA) has created Forskerportalen.dk (the Researcher Portal) which provides information on legal and ethical issues in relation to research. On this site you can get information on, for example, your rights in relation to research, publishing, academic freedom, responsible conduct of research etc.
Creative Commons is a standardized method to indicate to what extent you accept that your work gets used, shared, and copied.
If you have created a work yourself (typically in an electronic format) – e.g. a text, picture, a PowerPoint presentation, a video etc. and want to share it with others to some extent without them having to ask permission first, then a Creative Commons license could be a solution.
In SHERPA/RoMEO you can see which copyright demands many publishers and journals make for authors and to what extent you can use a published article, e.g. posting it on your website.
