Copyright and sharing resources online

Overview

It is extremely easy to create, share and reuse content online but the laws regarding copyright and other intellectual property rights still apply.

There are many websites that provide notes and course materials to support students in their studies. Online learning platforms like Course Hero, Chegg and Studocu include resources uploaded from all over the world. This content can be in the format of student notes, full copies of lecture hand outs and slides, exam papers, e-resources and library books. Unfortunately, many of these resources are in breach of copyright on UWE Bristol teaching materials or the copyright of content licensed by UWE Bristol for the use of its students.

Before you upload anything online, consider whether sharing the content is the right thing to do. Consider how you would feel if your own work was shared without your permission. 

Sharing your lecture notes

If you have made your own notes in a lecture, you are free to distribute them as you want provided that these notes are not exact copies of course materials and lectures. 

When you upload your own content to an online learning platform, you don't lose your copyright. However by doing so, you agree to license your content and for it to be hosted and used in specific ways as set out in the terms of service of that site.

Remember that, once material has been shared online, the process to remove it can be bureaucratic and time consuming.

Resources that cannot be shared

At the start of each year of your studies, you sign and agree to terms of use for UWE Bristol teaching materials. Sharing UWE Bristol copyrighted materials or licensed content online infringes upon this agreement and could result in action under the Student Conduct Policy (PDF).

When you upload material to an online learning platform you will be asked to confirm that you have permission to do this, including permission for any third-party content (for example material from books, journals, e-resources and similar content).

You should not upload anything that you do not own the rights to, including:

• copies or transcripts of UWE Bristol teaching materials, such as slides and exam papers
• content from UWE Bristol library resources.

Copyright and Generative AI

Your module brief or Module Leader will provide you with specific guidance about the use of AI tools for assessed work, and you should follow that guidance carefully. UWE Bristol’s licensed generative AI tool is Copilot for Microsoft 365. As it is provided under the University's Microsoft contract and accessed through university login credentials, it offers the necessary assurances around data privacy, data residency and the handling of prompts and uploaded materials.

However, when accessing content that the University licenses for staff and student use, you may see the following notice when entering some databases:

‘Content from this database should not be used in Artificial Intelligence applications.’

Such content cannot be used in any AI application due to licensing restrictions.