11. Do I always need to get permission to use other people’s work? Is it enough to credit the author/artist?

 

If you want to use a piece of work that is still in copyright, you will need to seek permission from the copyright holder; acknowledging the author is important, but not enough. When seeking permission, remember that sometimes the copyright owner is not the original creator; it can be the record label or producer, for example.

However, there are circumstances when works can be used without seeking the copyright holder’s permission. These are known as copyright exceptions. They include fair dealing for quotationnews reportingeducationprivate study and parody. Each exception has very specific criteria which you must meet in order to benefit from them.

Also, you do not need to obtain permission to use works that are in the public domain.

Related

The Game is On! – Ep. 1

The Game is On! – Ep. 1

In a fictional land called London, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson meet a curious client: the toymaker Joseph …

Getting Permission

Getting Permission

When you want to use a work that is in copyright, you need to get permission from all copyright owners. Some works have several rights attached to them and each right may have more than one owner…

Copyright Bites

Copyright Bites

Copyright Bites is a series of short videos that makes copyright law and policy easier to understand, exploring the relationship between copyright and the public domain.