Copyright Information Point
As a WUR researcher, teacher, PhD Candidate or student, you may often face copyright questions. Can I use an image from the internet in my thesis? How much of a book or article can I upload to Brightspace? Which licence should I choose when publishing an article or dataset? The Copyright Information Point provides clear guidance and practical support.
General copyright information
In the Netherlands, copyright automatically applies to something you make and publish. For example, researchers who write a research report or publish an article, PhD candidates who write a dissertation, students who write a thesis or a paper or give a presentation, and teachers who make presentations for their students. Discover how you can recognise copyrighted material and the possibilities or limitations of copyrighted materials. Plus, how you can handle copyright infringement claims or what's allowed with text and data mining.
Photo by Marthe Hofsteenge
Learn more on general copyright
Ownership
Every material should have a copyright holder, but it is not always clear who or which organisation this is. It also might be more than one owner. Learn how the ownership of copyright works when the work is made as part of your employment at WUR or in cooperation with other institutes.
Licences
There are different licences to choose from when you own the copyright to a material. From All rights reserved to openly sharing with Creative Commons licences. Learn which licences are possible and how licences can allow the reuse of materials by others.
Publishing research results & copyright
When publishing your research results, you have to consider copyright law. For example, publishers might ask you to transfer your copyright, or which open licence you want for your publication, or you need to publish Open Access and want to use Taverne, what are the possibilities? Or by accident you published your work in a predatory journal, what can you do? Learn about these questions and more in our knowledge articles.
Sharing research results & copyright
Sharing has never been so easy: there are many platforms and social media available to share your publications in just a few clicks. But you need to think carefully about copyright before you share your results and make sure you have permission from the copyright holder.
Think before you share
Research data & copyright
Rightsholdership and copyright regarding research data can be complex. Generally, the employer 'owns' the intellectual property, while contractual and ethical agreements, as well as data sharing policies or guidelines, dictate how data can be used, shared, and licensed. Additionally, not all data is copyright-protected. The articles explain who the rightsholder(s) of the data is, what data is copyright protected and what licence to choose for your data.
Copyright in educational materials
When designing your education, you often use images or literature that are copyright protected. It is possible to use these materials, but with some restrictions or guidelines. Find out more about how to correctly hyperlink to copyright-protected material and legally use copyrighted material on Brightspace or in a reader in the knowledge articles.
Generative AI & copyright
Generative AI (GenAI) tools can quickly generate large amounts of text or images. But who owns the copyright to these outputs? Copyright around generative AI can be a complex topic, and there are important considerations to take into account when using GenAI. You can find out more in this knowledge article.
Learn more
Photographs and audiovisual works
Most images available on the internet are copyright-protected. While it seems so easy to pick the picture you need on the internet to use in your presentation or thesis, you must proceed with care when reusing photographs and audiovisual materials from others to avoid copyright infringement. Learn how to correctly use and attribute images in your work.
Theses (BSc, MSc or PhD)
Are you writing your BSc, MSc or PhD thesis? Not sure if you may use that perfect photo or who owns the copyright on your thesis and data? Read the knowledge article and learn more about copyright for theses, including how to use images, ownership, and the WUR policy on theses.
Questions and support
The Copyright Information Point (CIP) provides guidance on copyright for researchers, teachers, and students. It offers support with topics like using copyrighted materials in teaching, plagiarism, and research data. The CIP also handles copyright infringement claims and provides specific advice on generative AI and publishing. Please email the Servicedesk Facilities to contact our specialists.
Servicedesk Facilities
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