Copyright: Copyright and Moodle

Uploading to Moodle

If you upload a document to Moodle that has come from an electronic resource, then you're probably infringing copyright. Electronic resources to which the library will subscribe are not subject to Irish copyright law and have licences that prevent sharing in this fashion.

If the work is available through a library resource, traffic should be driven to that resource so that it gets used. One of the criteria for acquiring and then resubscribing to resources is usage. If you place a link to an article that will be seen by 100 students on Moodle, that's potentially 100 visitors to the library resource. If you download the article from the resource and upload the article to Moodle, then there will only be one visitor to that resource.

Even if you do have permission to share or have made a licenced digital copy of something, once the course is completed and is not being repeated, then the digital copy should be deleted.

Uploading Checklist

If you wish something to Moodle, ask yourself the following questions:

Can the work be linked to instead of being uploaded?

Material from library resources should be linked to for the copyright and resource usage reasons described above. With other material, when in doubt, provide a link rather than uploading the material.

What kind of document is it?

Lectures: Video or PowerPoint presentations can be uploaded if all material contained within them comply with copyright - either you hold the copyright or have the express consent of the copyright holder.
Your own material: Anything on which you hold copyright can be uploaded to Moodle.
Web pages: These are not covered by the ICLA licence, and so can only be used if explicit permission is granted by the copyright holder. Look for permissions or Creative Commons licences on the site and remember, is it better to link to it instead?
Videos: Same as for webpages.
Images from the web; Look for permissions or Creative Commons licences - look at the Links page for copyright-right free image sources.
Books and journal articles: These can be copied subject to being:
- Within ICLA licence restraints.
- Owned by the institution.
- Available to users on a page that requires a password to access.
- From a country covered by an ICLA licence.
ICLA exclusions; Some types of document do not fall under the ICLA licence agreement and therefore cannot be uploaded to Moodle. These include sheet music, government reports and grey literature. Links should be provided to these whenever possible.

How much of the document are you using?

Familiarise yourself with the terms of the ICLA licence and what is allowed. Remember that people will have differing opinions on what constitutes "fair dealing", and you should err on the side of caution.

Have you kept a record?

You should keep a record of the material that you upload. It can help to assess royalties to paid to copyright owners

Have you deleted uploaded material that is no longer needed?

Once a module is completed, uploaded material should be removed; there is no need to keep permanent digital copies of documents