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Copyright Office

Student assignments

Canada’s Copyright Act and UVic’s copyright policies affect how you can use copyright-protected materials at UVic. Learn about creating your own works and using copyright-protected materials in your assignments.

Students own the copyright to all their original work, including:

  • papers
  • projects
  • performances
  • videos
  • posters

You may use copyright-protected materials in your assignments and presentations, as long as you only use short excerpts and include proper citations. (Refer to the Fair Dealing Guidelines for more information.) You should not share copyright-protected materials on publicly accessible websites or file-sharing platforms.

Academic integrity

You are responsible for your academic work, whether you’re working alone or in a team. You must adhere to ethical values, honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. This means not plagiarizing or falsifying materials.

For more information, see UVic’s Academic Integrity guidelines. The Academic Skills Centre (ASC) and the Libraries’ citation help tutorials can also help you understand academic expectations at UVic.

Creating videos

Creating videos involves many layers of production, including writing, music and performance. Videos can use copyrighted content from multiple sources.

These resources can help you learn how to create videos:

Who should I credit?

It is important to acknowledge all of the contributors to the video, including:

  • actors
  • script writers
  • photographers
  • directors

You should include a list of credits at the end of the production.

Can I use background music?

In general, videos you produce and share on the internet (for example, on YouTube), should not include music produced by others without their permission. You need to contact the music publisher and/or the artist to request permission for reuse. You can also contact the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) for help.

Some websites provide royalty-free music, and some artists allow their music to be licensed for YouTube videos. Make sure to read the terms of use information before using the music.

Finding music

These resources can help you find music for your video:

Showing movies & videos

For video and movie use outside of the classroom, see our hosting an event page.

Please contact Bill Blair, Music and Media Librarian, if you need help.

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.