As an academic you will invariably want to use copyright works in some way to support your teaching. For example, you may want to:
There are a number of licences and exceptions under copyright law that allow you to use copyright works for educational purposes.
The Copyright Licensing Agency HE License
The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Higher Education blanket licence permits multiple copies of certain types of copyright works to be made for all students on a particular module and for the tutor, but the limitations detailed below will apply.
Your copies must fall within the limits of whichever is the greater, 10% or:
Copies can be made from London Met Library's print or electronic collections and can be photocopied or distributed electronically via WebLearn.
All digital copying must be reported annually to the CLA, therefore all digitisation requests must be processed by the Library Digitisation Service. The Library Digitisation Service will check your course materials for compliance with CLA HE Licence terms, scan course material for you and advise you of your options where this is not possible.
Digitised course readings from published works for delivery to students via WebLearn. This is a staff-focused service to support the provision of copyright-compliant teaching material.
The Digitisation Service provided by the Library offers a free service for academic staff providing:
Using video, sound, music, and broadcasts in your teaching requires careful consideration of copyright.
Search ERA Radio and TV Services
Our ERA Licence permits you to use recorded broadcast media for teaching and learning, including in online platforms like WebLearn. Sources of broadcast material include on demand services like BBC iPlayer, ITV player, Channel 4oD, 5 Television and On Demand 5, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. When using these, ensure it's for educational, non-commercial purposes within the UK, and always acknowledge sources under the ERA Licensing scheme.
The University holds an Educational Recording Licence (ERA) to support educators to make the most of television and radio programmes broadcast in the UK.
When adding video clips to your teaching materials, Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is your best option. However, if you can't find what you need there, you might be able to use YouTube videos if you follow these guidelines:
Non-Commercial Use: The video must be for educational purposes, not for profit.
Illustrative, Not Decorative: Use videos that directly support your teaching point, rather than just being a visual extra.
Keep it Short (Fair Dealing): Only use a short extract of the video, not the whole thing. This falls under "fair dealing," which means you're using an acceptable amount of the copyrighted work. For example, a single scene from a film is usually fine, but the entire movie isn't.
Proper Attribution: Always fully credit the video source using your department's referencing system. Don't just paste a link.
Official Channels: Whenever possible, use videos from the official YouTube channel of the rights holder (e.g., a film studio or TV network).
Embed for Presentations: If you're using a YouTube video in a presentation, embed it directly into your presentation software. Avoid simply linking to it or having it open in a separate browser window.
Using commercial music is highly restrictive. While the university has a Performing Rights Society Licence for music used in official qualifications, adding commercial music to WebLearn typically requires expensive permission from rights holders. It's best to avoid commercial music unless absolutely essential.
Always check the resource's terms and conditions before use.
All electronic resources, including databases, e-journals and e-books are made available through subscriptions handled by the Library. Access to these resources is allowed under the terms of the licences drawn up by the supplier, all staff and students at London Met are responsible for ensuring that they comply with these licences.
General rules:
Not all database providers permit access by students and staff at London Met partner institutions. The database descriptions on each database page will tell you whether the database provider authorises you to access that particular database.
