Course materials & student work
According to UVic’s Intellectual Property policy (GV0215), any work created by a member of UVic is owned by the creator.
This includes:
- scholarly work
- professional work
- student-related work
For information about inventions, please visit UVic’s Innovation & Partnerships website.
Lectures and course materials
Instructors hold copyright to the materials they create for a course, including:
- lectures, lecture notes
- slides
- assignments
- examinations
Course websites
These materials are provided exclusively for research and private study by registered students. Any other use may infringe on copyright if done without the instructor’s permission. This could include recording lectures or uploading materials to the internet.
Recording of lectures
Students in a course may ask to record lectures for future review. Since a lecture is considered the instructor’s intellectual property, students should get permission from the course instructor before recording.
It is best to inform students that all course materials (e.g., lecture notes, slides, syllabus and lecture recordings) are only intended for students registered in the course for research and private study.
Academic accommodations
In some cases, a student with a perceptual disability will be eligible for academic accommodation to record a lecture. Contact the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) for more information.
Student work
Students hold copyright to all their original work, including:
- papers
- projects
- performances
- videos
- posters
- and more
Instructors must get permission to share students’ work. They should also keep records of all permissions granted. Permission can be granted for one semester or indefinitely.
Use the student work template to request permission to share a student’s work.
Takedown notices
Some commercial sites, like Course Hero, encourage students to upload course materials. Often, materials belonging to instructors are posted without permission.
A takedown notice alerts an individual or organization to an alleged copyright infringement. For more information, see our information on Notice and Notice.
The copyright owner must contact the infringing site to request the removal of their materials. Use one of the provided templates to draft a takedown notice and CC copyright@uvic.ca in your email.
Takedown notice template (Canadian websites)
Subject: Copyright Infringement Notice
To whom it may concern:
This is notice pursuant to section 41.25 of Canada’s Copyright Act that your website service is hosting material that infringes copyright. You are required by section 41.26(1) of the Copyright Act to:
(a) as soon as feasible forward the notice electronically to the person to whom the electronic location identified by the location data specified in the notice belongs and inform the claimant of its forwarding or, if applicable, of the reason why it was not possible to forward it; and
(b) retain records that will allow the identity of the person to whom the electronic location belongs to be determined, and do so for six months beginning on the day on which the notice of claimed infringement is received or, if the claimant commences proceedings relating to the claimed infringement and so notifies the person before the end of those six months, for one year after the day on which the person receives the notice of claimed infringement.
Work(s): [Title(s)]
Location(s): [List all URLs]
File/Excerpt name: [List all file names, if applicable]
Date and time of infringement: [Date infringement was found and viewed, note also if “ongoing”]
Infringing poster: [Name/profile name/account/any other identifying information if available]
I am the author and the copyright owner of the work(s) listed above. This/these work(s) has/have been posted to your service without my permission. [Note: if your copyright-protected content has been inserted into a larger work, you must identify the specific parts of the work(s) in which you own copyright.]
Claimant name: [Your name]
Contact information: [Business address, email, & phone number]
Please contact me at the email listed above indicating your prompt response.
Name
Date
Takedown notice template (US websites)
Subject: Copyright Infringement Notice
To whom it may concern:
This is notice pursuant to section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that your website service is hosting material that infringes my copyright. As a service provider, you are required to “expeditiously remove or disable access to” the infringing material.
Work(s): [Title(s)]
Location(s): [List all URLs]
File/Excerpt name: [List all file names, If applicable]
Infringing poster: [Name/profile name/account/any other identifying information if available]
I am the author and the copyright owner of the work(s) listed above. This/these work(s) has/have been posted to your service without my permission. [Note: if your copyright-protected content has been inserted into a larger work, you must identify the specific parts of the work(s) in which you own copyright.]
Claimant name: [Your name]
Contact information: [Business address, email, & phone number]
I have a good faith belief that the use of the material that appears on the service is not authorized by myself, the copyright owner, my agent, or by operation of law.
I declare under penalty of perjury, pursuant to the laws of the United States of America, that this notification is true and accurate, and that I am either the copyright owner or I am authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or by operation of law.
Please contact me at the email listed above indicating your prompt response.
Signed,
[Electronic or physical signature]
Name
Date
Takedown notice template (Course Hero)
To submit a takedown notice to Course Hero, you can:
- submit the notice through the Course Hero online form, or
- email it as a letter with the list of works to dmca@learneo.com
You can download the templates or copy the letter template below.
Subject: Copyright Infringement Notice
To whom it may concern:
This is notice pursuant to section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that your website service Course Hero is hosting material that infringes their copyright. As a service provider, you are required to act “expeditiously to remove, or disable access to” the infringing material.
See the attached list for descriptions of the works that have been infringed and their URLs. [Omit this line if you are listing the works below instead of in a separate file]
I am the author and the copyright owner of the works listed. These works have been posted to your service without my permission.
Work(s): [Title(s). Omit this line if you are listing the works in a separate file]
Location(s): [URL(s) on Course Hero. Omit this line if you are listing the works in a separate file.]
Infringing user(s): [Uploader username(s). Omit this line if you are listing the works in a separate file.]
Claimant name: [Your name and title]
Contact information:
[Your address]
Canada
Phone: [Your phone number]
Email: [Your email]
I have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
I declare that the claims presented in this report are true and accurate.
Please contact me at the email listed above indicating your prompt response.
Signed,
[Electronic or physical signature]
Name
Date
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Copyright Office at copyright@uvic.ca.
The Copyright Office makes every effort to provide accurate information but does not offer it as counsel or legal advice.