1. Introduction to Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Licensing

This section covers copyright and licences in relation to author rights and user permissions. The method of delivery is mainly text; therefore, a summary of learning points is given at the end of each section.

On completion of this section, you will expand your knowledge on copyright and licences in relation to publishing agreements.

Thinking points

  • Would you sign over all your rights to a publisher to get your work published or would you negotiate with a publisher to retain the copyright for your paper?
  • Have you used other people's work in the course of your research and were you aware of what you were allowed to do with this data?
  • Have you ever considered the re-use permissions for your work, i.e. what would you allow users to do with your paper?