Copyright and plagiarism

Here you can learn more about copyright, how to avoid plagiarism and how to use images in your work.

What is copyright?

Copyright protects literary and artistic works. When the originator creates a work, it is automatically copyrighted.

Copyright is a law (SFS 1960:729) that protects literary and artistic works. When the originator creates a work, it is automatically copyrighted. This gives the originator the right to decide if, how and when the work may be used or distributed.

A piece of work can be printed or non-printed material, for example:

• Books
• Articles
• Pictures, photographs and illustrations
• Maps
• Speech
• Musical work
• Dramatic work
• Film
• Computer programs

Non-profit and economic rights

Copyright imply that the originator has both non-profit and economic rights to his or her work.

The non-profit rights means that the originator has the right to benamed when his or her work is used. The originator always retains the non-profit rights.

The economic rights means that the originator ought to be compensated for his or her work. The originator has sole rights to dispose of his/her work. He or she can produce copies of the work and make the work accessible to the public. However, the originator can sell the economic rights to his/her work. For example, the originatorcan transfer, with compensation, the rights to a book to a publishing firm.

In Sweden, the copyright is valid during the originator’s lifetime, and after that during 70 years.

• Copyright law External link.
  Law (SFS 1960:729) that protects literary and artistic works.
  

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is if you for example take facts, ideas or pictures from someone else’s published or unpublished work and use in your own work without mentioning the source.

If you use someone else’s work, it has to be clear who the originator of the work is.

Plagiarism occurs in different ways.
For example that you:

• Use facts, ideas, theories, methods or data from someone else’s work without mentioning the source
• Copy pictures, diagrams, charts, music, share computer programs et cetera without mentioning the source or without the originator’s permission
• Citing without mentioning the source
• Write a text based merely on other sources than on your own comments and reflections
• Hand in a piece of work as your own, but actually, someone else has created it

Luleå University of Technology uses a tool, which enables to check students’ texts and pieces of work. If you plagiarize, you violate the copyright law and it might lead to disciplinary actions.

• Academic misconduct Opens in new window.
  Guidelines for students at Luleå University of Technology.
• Refero - anti-plagiarism guide External link.
  Created by the libraries at Blekinge Institute of Technology and Linnaeus University.
• Copyright law External link, opens in new window.
  Act (1960:729) on copyright to literary and artistic works.

How can you use images?

You need the author's permission to use their images.

You need the originator’s permission if you want to:

• Use his/her pictures, photographs or illustrations
• Alter the picture material
• Distribute the picture material

This also applies if you use images that someone else has put on the web without permission.

In addition to the author's permission, you also need to clearly show who the author of the visual material is by indicating the source.

Remember that students' theses are published openly and that you need the author's permission if you use their images in your thesis.

Bonus Copyright Access

The Bonus Copyright Access agreement gives teachers and students certain rights to use copyrighted images for educational purposes.

Read more in the Bonus Copyright Access Agreement.

Licenses

The author sometimes uses licenses to show how images on the web can be used, modified and distributed.

A Creative Commons (CC) license is an example of such a license.

• Bonus Copyright Access External link.
• Creative Commons licenses External link, opens in new window.
  About what different CC licenses mean and how you can use them.
  In Swedish.
• Search Creative Commons materials External link.
  Search function to find and use materials with a CC license.

Images you may use

There are image databases where you can use images without the author's permission.
There are different license conditions for how these images can be used.
The general rule for licenses is that the author must always be mentioned.

Read more about the license conditions in the image databases.
Below are some examples of image databases with free images.

• Flickr External link.
  
• Pixabay External link.
  
• Unsplash External link.

What can you share and copy?

The Bonus Copyright Access agreement regulates which duplication rules that apply for teachers and students at university. The agreement gives teachers and students some rights to copy and share copyright protected material for educational purposes.

The agreement includes analogue and digital duplication.

This is when you would like to:

• Download
• Photograph
• Scan
• Print out
• Copy in copier
• Use in digital presentations
• Show with projector or on screen
• Distribute paper copies
• Save copyright protected material digitally, for example in the university’s closed network, on USB et cetera
• Share copyright protected material on the university’s closed network, by mail et cetera

(Bonus Copyright Access, 2020)

If you use copied material, you also have to show clearly, who the originator of the material is by mentioning to the source.