Copyright & Licensing Checklist

Using Computational, Visual, or Analytical Tools

1. Are you planning on employing computational, visual, or analytical tools or software to aid your research and findings?

  • Yes:
    • Ensure the tools or software allow sharing outputs under a Creative Commons license or other open licensing.
    • Verify licensing terms before proceeding to ensure compliance.
  • No:
    • You can proceed without additional concerns about software licensing.

Using Data, Materials, and Multimedia e.g with tools/software etc.

2. Is the data, materials, and content licensed under a Creative Commons license (e.g., CC-BY, CC-BY-NC, CC0, CC-BY-SA, or CC-BY-NC-SA)?

  • Yes: You’re clear to use the materials. Ensure proper attribution and adhere to the license terms. Remember, if it is a share-alike license, you’ll need to share your work under those same terms.
  • No: Check if you need permissions, alternative materials, or public domain content.

3. Is any of the data or materials etc. you’re using in the public domain?

  • Yes: Public domain content can be freely used, reused, and adapted without restrictions or the need for attribution (though attribution is recommended as a best practice).
  • No: You must check the licensing or obtain permissions for copyrighted materials.

4. Do any data or materials etc. you’re using hold copyright, and are there no suitable replacements available?

  • Yes:
    • Confirm you have explicit permissions to use the materials.
    • Ensure compliance with fair dealing and seek additional permissions if necessary, especially for narrative findings or abstract outputs.
  • No: You can proceed without needing to obtain further permissions.

Using Third-Party Multimedia e.g. embedding a video or image into your text

5. Are you planning to use third-party multimedia?

a. Is the multimedia in the public domain?

  • Yes:
    • Public domain multimedia can be used freely without restrictions. Attribution is optional but recommended.
  • No: Follow the applicable guidelines below based on the licensing.

b. Is the multimedia licensed under CC-BY, CC-BY-NC or CC0?

  • Yes:
    • CC-BY: You can adapt the material in any way as long as you attribute the author.
    • CC0: You can adapt the material in any way and you don’t have to credit the author, but it is best practice to do so.
    • CC-BY-NC: You can adapt it, but only for non-commercial purposes.
    • Great! You’re good to go.
  • No: Check if the material is licensed under other terms and follow the respective guidelines, or find alternative content.

c. Is the multimedia licensed under CC-BY-SA or CC-BY-NC-SA?

  • Yes:
    • Share-Alike Requirement: You must license your work under the same terms (e.g., CC-BY-SA or CC-BY-NC-SA).
    • This benefits the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement, ensuring materials are reused as their creators intended.
  • No: Consider whether other licenses apply or seek suitable alternatives.

d. Is the multimedia licensed under CC-BY-ND?

  • Yes:
    • No Derivatives Allowed:
      • You can use CC BY-ND material, but only without modifications.
      • It must be used as-is, e.g., an image included as part of a photo collection.

Guidelines for Using CC BY-ND Material:

  • Standalone Commentary: General factual descriptions alongside the material are acceptable if they don’t alter its interpretation.
    • Allowed Example: Including a CC BY-ND photo of a historical site with factual information about its history.
  • Avoid Reinterpretation: Don’t use the material to illustrate a hypothetical scenario or as part of a narrative argument.
    • Not Allowed Example: Reusing a CC BY-ND image to depict a fictional scenario or support an argument.
  • Safer Practices:
    • Provide neutral context without relying on the material for illustrative purposes.
    • Keep the material visually and contextually separate from other content to avoid reinterpretation.
  • No: Check if alternative multimedia with more flexible licensing (e.g., CC-BY or public domain) is available.

Creating Multimedia Content for Your Project

6. Are you planning on creating multimedia for your project?

  • Yes: Proceed with the following steps.
  • No: You can skip this section.

Are you planning on recruiting professionals, students, or volunteers to help create multimedia content for your project?

  • Yes: Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, and permissions are in place.
  • No: Proceed to the next question.

Are there going to be human participants included in the outputs, such as recordings of individuals in videos?

  • Yes:
  • No: Skip to the next question, but remain mindful of potential privacy concerns in your multimedia.

Have you checked with the content creator(s) how they would like to share their work?

  • Yes: This ensures that any potential copyrighted work can sit within your openly licensed project with full accreditation and permissions.
  • No: Discuss sharing preferences with the content creators to avoid licensing issues or copyright violations later.

Have the content creator(s) signed a Creator’s Permission Agreement form?

  • Yes: Retain this documentation to clarify permissions and rights.
  • No: Ensure that this step is completed before including their work in your project.