Exceptions to copyright:

Guidance for creators and

copyright owners

October 2014
Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office
 Guidance for creators and copyright owners 1

Copyright protects literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works as well as films,
sound recordings, book layouts, and broadcasts. If you want to copy or use
a copyright work then you usually have to get permission from the copyright
owner, but there are a few exceptions where you can copy or use part or all of
a copyright work without permission. Where a work contains a performance,
the performer will also have rights over how the work is used. The exceptions to
copyright also apply to these related rights.
The law on these exceptions has changed in a number of small but important
ways, to make our copyright system better suited to the digital age. These
changes affect how you can use content like books, music, films and
photographs.
The majority of uses of copyright materials continue to require permission from
copyright owners, so you should be careful when considering whether you can
rely on an exception, and if in doubt you should seek legal advice. Copyright
infringement is against the law. Deliberate infringement on a commercial
scale may lead to a criminal prosecution, so you should take care when using
copyright materials. Further guidance on copyright is available on the
GOV.UK website.
2 Guidance for creators and copyright owners

Who should read this guidance?

This leaflet is aimed at creators, copyright owners, and businesses that
manage rights in copyright works.
These changes affect anyone who creates, owns, licenses or uses copyright
works, including people who create parody works and people who quote or
reference other people’s works in their own.
This guidance will be relevant to a wide range of people, including writers,
artists, musicians, amateur creators and bloggers, comedians, performers,
academics, teachers, journalists, and media organisations such as
broadcasters and production companies.

Guidance for those who own copyright content

The existence of a copyright exception does not change who owns the copyright
in a work.
If someone wants to use a work and you are the copyright owner, in most
circumstances you will be able to prohibit or license such use. However, you
should check that the use doesn’t fall within one of the exceptions to copyright.
If it does, the user may be within their rights to use your work without your
authorisation or a licence.
Businesses that generate or provide copyright content and businesses that use
copyright content may wish to familiarise themselves with the guidance in the
accompanying leaflets that explain, in more detail, the changes to how people
can use copyright works. For links to the other leaflets please see the further
information box.
 Guidance for creators and copyright owners 3

FAQs
What does the copyright exception for disability mean for
owners of copyright content?
If you own material that someone else wants to reproduce in an accessible
format, to enable a disabled person to enjoy it, they are now able to do so
without your permission, but only if copies in the accessible format are not
commercially available on reasonable terms. The law permits not for profit
bodies and educational establishments to make accessible copies, as well
as individuals. If a not for profit body or educational establishment makes
accessible copies of your work for distribution to disabled people, they
are required to notify you or a body representing you (such as a copyright
collecting society). For more information see the leaflet “Accessible formats
for disabled people”.

What does the text and data mining exception mean for
content providers?
It means that if researchers have the right to access a copyright work to
read it (for example, through paying for a subscription to a journal or through
material published under a Creative Commons licence), they are allowed to
make a copy of the work for text and data mining purposes, without asking
for additional permission. The exception applies to all types of copyright
works but only when research is for non-commercial purposes. Publishers
can apply controls on access or other measures that are required in order
to maintain security or stability but these should not stop researchers
from benefiting from the exception. The leaflet “Exceptions to copyright:
Research” contains more information.
4 Guidance for creators and copyright owners

What does the copyright exception for education mean for

those who provide educational content?
It means that illustrative uses of copyright works are permitted for the
purpose of teaching, provided that such use is minimal and fair, and there
is a sufficient acknowledgement – which generally means the title and
the author’s name should be indicated. More significant uses by schools,
colleges and universities - such as recording broadcasts or photocopying
textbooks to share with students - is permitted under certain conditions,
but, as was previously the case, educational establishments will only be able
to rely on the exception if licences authorising the acts are not available.
Where licences are available, the educational establishment will need to hold
a relevant licence. Educational licensing schemes are operated by collecting
societies including the Educational Recording Agency and the Copyright
Licensing Agency, and if you are a member of one of these societies you will
continue to be able to claim remuneration for educational copying.
For more information, including details of the other conditions attached to
these exceptions, see the leaflet “Exceptions to copyright: Education
and Teaching”.
What should I do if someone is using my copyright work
without permission and I believe that a copyright exception
does not apply?
Where all or a substantial part of your work has been used without your
permission and none of the exceptions to copyright apply, your copyright
may have been infringed. Although you do not have to, it will usually be
sensible to try to resolve the matter with the person/organisation you
think has infringed your copyright before starting legal proceedings. More
information can be found at http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-manage/c-
useenforce/c-enforce.html

Where can I find more information about licensing my

copyright work to others?
More information can be found on the IPO’s website at:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-other/c-licence.html

Information on the exceptions for Quotation and on Caricature, Parody, or

Pastiche is set out in the second part of this guide.
 Guidance for creators and copyright owners 5

Guidance for those using copyright works to

create new content
Caricature, Parody or Pastiche
What’s changing?
Many works of caricature, parody or pastiche – songs, films, artworks and so
on - especially in this age of digital creation and re-mixing, involve some level of
copying from another work.
The law is changing to allow people to use limited amounts of another’s material
without the owner’s permission. For example: a comedian may use a few lines
from a film or song for a parody sketch; a cartoonist may reference a well known
artwork or illustration for a caricature; an artist may use small fragments from a
range of films to compose a larger pastiche artwork.
It is important to understand, however, that this change in the law only permits
use for the purposes of caricature, parody, or pastiche to the extent that it is
“fair dealing.” Fair dealing allows you only to make use of a limited, moderate
amount of someone else’s work. This legal term is further explained later in
this guide.
6 Guidance for creators and copyright owners

FAQs

Does this mean that I no longer need to pay for a

licence if I wish to use a work for caricature, parody or
pastiche?
Fair dealing allows you only to make use of a limited, moderate amount of
someone else’s work. Anything that is not fair dealing will require a licence
or permission from the copyright owner. (Information on obtaining a licence
from a copyright owner or through a collecting society can be found at:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-other/c-licence.html.)
The new exception allows a reference to a copyright work - in essence
building on it. This means it is very unlikely that someone could copy a
whole unchanged work, without permission from the copyright owner. For
example, it would not be considered “fair” to use an entire musical track on
a spoof video.
What is meant by “for the purpose of caricature, parody or
pastiche”?
The words “caricature, parody or pastiche” have their usual meaning in
everyday language, but also take account of the context and purpose of the
copyright exceptions. In broad terms: parody imitates a work for humorous
or satirical effect. It evokes an existing work while being noticeably different
from it. Pastiche is musical or other composition made up of selections from
various sources or one that imitates the style of another artist or period. A
caricature portrays its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way, which may
be insulting or complimentary and may serve a political purpose or be solely
for entertainment.
Q: Does the parody have to be making fun of the original
work or its author?
Whilst parody does involve an expression of humour or mockery, it does
not have to comment on the original work or its author. It can be used to
comment on any theme or target.
 Guidance for creators and copyright owners 7

What if someone uses my work for something derogatory or

distasteful?
The changes to copyright law have no impact on the law of libel or slander,
so you would be able to sue if a work were defamatory. In addition,
copyright law expressly protects an author’s moral right to object to”
derogatory treatment” of a work. Copyright law defines what amounts to
“derogatory treatment” and this remains unaffected by these changes. If a
use amounts to derogatory treatment, rightsholders will still be able to take
legal action to prevent that use.

Quotation
What’s changed?
Copyright law has changed to give people greater freedom to quote the works
of others. You will not need to seek the permission of the copyright owner as
long as the quotation is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement – which
generally means the title and the author’s name should be indicated, and as long
as the use is considered reasonable and fair (“fair dealing”).
This is an extension to the existing law that already allows fair dealing with
copyright materials for the purpose of criticism, review and news reporting.

Will this mean people can “quote” any amount of copyright

material without permission?
No. The change only allows use of material where it is genuinely for the
purpose of quotation, and only where the use is fair and reasonable (e.g. it
does not replace a commercial sale). So, for example, it could permit a short
quotation that is necessary and relevant in an academic paper or a history
book, but it would not permit a long extract.
Does this apply to photographs?
Whilst the exception applies to all types of copyright work, it would only be
in exceptional circumstances that copying a photograph would be allowed
under this exception. It would not be considered fair dealing if the proposed
use of a copyright work would conflict with the copyright owner’s normal
exploitation of their work. For example, the ability to sell or license copies of
photographs for inclusion in newspapers would be a normal exploitation.
8 Guidance for creators and copyright owners

Effect on existing licences

Where a licence granted under the old law gives wider permissions than the
new law, the licence will be unaffected. However, where the new law permits
more than the licence, the licence holder will be able to rely on the new law.
The licence will still be valid, but a licensee cannot be made to comply with
any term in so far as it seeks to restrict something that the new law allows.

What is fair dealing?

‘Fair dealing’ is a legal term used to establish whether a use of copyright
material is lawful or whether it infringes copyright. There is no statutory
definition of fair dealing - it will always be a matter of fact, degree and
impression in each case. The question to be asked is: how would a fair-
minded and honest person have dealt with the work?
Factors that have been identified by the courts as relevant in determining
whether a particular dealing with a work is fair, include:
• Does using the work affect the market for the original work? If a use of a
work acts as a substitute for it, causing the owner to lose revenue, then it
is not likely to be fair.
• Is the amount of the work taken reasonable and appropriate? Was it
necessary to use the amount that was taken? Usually only part of a work
may be used.
The relative importance of any one factor will vary according to the case in
hand and the type of dealing in question.
Further Information
Guidance on changes to the copyright
exceptions is available at https://www.gov.
uk/government/publications/changes-to-
copyright-law
Guides include:
• Overview
• Guidance for consumers
• Education and Teaching
• Research
• Copyright material held by public bodies
• Libraries, archives and museums
• Accessible formats for disabled people
Find out why the Government has changed the
copyright exceptions here:
Modernising Copyright, a modern, robust and
flexible framework: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/
response-2011-copyright-final.pdf
IP information: Learn more about Intellectual
Property by visiting the IPO web pages:
www.ipo.gov.uk
Licensing: More information can be found at:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-other/c-
licence.htm
IP Healthcheck: The IPO’s free IP
Healthcheck can help you to find out more
about the different IP rights and how they
affect you and your business: www.ipo.gov.uk/
iphealthcheck
Note: This guidance sets out the general
principles of the changes to copyright law, it is
not legal advice. It is recommended that you
obtain legal advice in circumstances where
you have specific questions relating to the law.
Intellectual Property Office Online
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should be sent to:
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© Crown copyright, 2014
This document is free for re-use under the terms
of the Open Government Licence.
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DPS/B900/09-14