Copyright at Waterloo is the central hub for copyright information at the University of Waterloo. This site is updated and maintained by the Copyright Advisory Committee. We are committed to providing copyright-related support and guidance to faculty, staff, and students. If you have questions, please contact copyright@uwaterloo.ca.
For copyright guidance that pertains to you, please navigate to one of the following areas:
News
Keep copyright in mind…when you create your slide deck or lecture materials
You’ve got a bunch of great visuals that will help your students understand the concepts in your course. How can you make sure you can use them, while respecting copyright?
It depends on the source of the image. We’ll cover one of the most common topics we receive questions about: reusing images found online. For example, if you wanted to use the Plains Zebra infographic available on the PBS Nature site, Infographic: All About the Plains Zebra in a slide deck in Zoology 100, and upload a copy of it to the LEARN space for the course. One way you could use this image would be under the Work available through the Internet exception in Copyright Act – this exception allows you to copy an entire work as long as you meet a set of five requirements:
University of Waterloo response to the Consultation on Copyright in the Age of Generative AI
On October 12, 2023 the government of Canada, through the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, asked Canadians to provide their thoughts through their Consultaiton on Copyright in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence which closed January 15, 2024. Responses were collected in survey format that asked for long-form answers to prompts on a number of thematic areas.
New guidance available: Copyright and generative artificial intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and related technologies are subject to existing laws and regulations in Canada, such as intellectual property, copyright and privacy laws, among others. The legal status (e.g., copyright legislation and case law) of GenAI services is currently unsettled in Canada. A new guide on GenAI and copyright is available; designed to help you make an informed decision about using GenAI-created content.
Keep copyright in mind…when you select videos to show in class
There’s a film that you want to show your students – how do you go about doing this while respecting copyright?
It depends on the source of the video, and how you want to show it. The Copyright Decision Tool can help you work through this. Below are a couple of examples of ways to make lawful use of film in the classroom.
Keep copyright in mind…when you create your slide deck or lecture materials
You’ve got a bunch of great visuals that will help your students understand the concepts in your course. How can you make sure you can use them, while respecting copyright?
It depends on the source of the image. We’ll cover one of the most common topics we receive questions about: reusing images found online. For example, if you wanted to use the Plains Zebra infographic available on the PBS Nature site, Infographic: All About the Plains Zebra in a slide deck in Zoology 100, and upload a copy of it to the LEARN space for the course. One way you could use this image would be under the Work available through the Internet exception in Copyright Act – this exception allows you to copy an entire work as long as you meet a set of five requirements:
University of Waterloo response to the Consultation on Copyright in the Age of Generative AI
On October 12, 2023 the government of Canada, through the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, asked Canadians to provide their thoughts through their Consultaiton on Copyright in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence which closed January 15, 2024. Responses were collected in survey format that asked for long-form answers to prompts on a number of thematic areas.