Copyright and licencing
Copyright and licencing are integral to creating OER and should be at the forefront of your mind when beginning an OER project. This page includes information on copyright essentials for OER, creating copyright compliant OER, and choosing a licence.
Copyright essentials
Caution
When creating an OER it is essential to use content that you have the legal right to use. Copyright compliance contributes to the sustainability of OER initiatives and encourages the creation of more openly licenses content.
Prior to initiating the design and production phases of your OER, you will need to have a discussion with the Deakin University Copyright Office. Engaging in early discussions about copyright matters in a project is important, as addressing at the beginning any issues regarding the content you want to include in your OER, avoids significant challenges later.
For more information on copyright, you can visit the copyright website.
Creating copyright compliant content
When it comes to creating content for an OER you are able to do this in two ways:
- Create content from scratch
- Reuse or adapt content from an existing resource
Creating original content
Content you write from your own expertise and experience is the ideal material for an OER. It avoids all copyright issues as it is original content, owned by you, and so you can use it and put a Creative Commons license on it. While that might be the case, you it can be a rewarding experience, developing original content does require a substantial time commitment.
Reuse or adapt content from an existing resource
The content available for reuse or adaption into an OER is limited as you need permission or a license. There are many resources freely available, but those that allow you to put a CC license on your creation are much fewer. You will be mainly restricted to content that already has a CC license on them and things that are in the public domain. Some image collections like Pixabay or Unsplash have their own custom license which is compatible with creating an OER too.
NOTE: The public domain is a copyright term for works whose copyright has expired or never had copyright protection. It does not mean works that are publicly accessible.
It may be possible to reuse existing teaching materials you have developed but you must discuss this with the copyright team first.
Please also note that if you are reusing content from an OER in your resource, not all licences are compatible. For further information on licence compatibility, please read Compatible licences (Creative Commons) or Understanding CC licence compatibility (WSU) and discuss your project with the copyright team.
Choosing a Creative Commons licence
Creative Commons licences enable the reuse of OER and cover 4 aspects - Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike and No Derivatives. For detail on the licences, read about the Creative Commons Licences or these considerations when applying a Creative Commons licence.
OER grant program preferred licence
Resources developed as part of the OER grant program are required to be licenced to enable reuse and adaptation. This means that licences with a No Derivatives (ND) component are not suitable for resources developed under the program. For Deakin developed resources, the preferred licence is CC BY NC 4.0 but it is up to the resource author to decide if this is suitable for the developed resource.
Choosing a licence flowchart
The following flowchart can assist you in selecting the most appropriate licence for your work:
"Which Creative Commons licence is right for me?" by Creative Commons Australia is licensed under CC BY 2.5
The steps in this flow chart are also available via the Creative Commons Choose a Licence Tool. If you would like to discuss your licence choice, please contact the Open Education Team or the Copyright Team.
OER grant program preferred licence
Resources developed as part of the OER grant program are required to be licenced to enable reuse and adaptation. This means that licences with a No Derivatives (ND) component are not suitable for resources developed under the program. For Deakin developed resources, the preferred licence is CC BY NC 4.0 but it is up to the resource author to decide if this is suitable for the developed resource.