Copyright

It can be difficult to know what you may share and what sources you may use when writing an assignment. In Norway, it is the Copyright Act (2018) that determines what is legal. The Copyright Act shall protect the interests of those who create works but shall at the same time ensure that others can make use of the works. The Copyright Act gives you the right to quote text from books, articles, websites, etc. provided you state where you have the source from and do not take so much that the creator loses control of the work or income.

Using different types of media

Using images, videos, music and similar media in your text can present challenges. If you wish to include such content in your assignment, you can:

• Create your own images, figures or videos
• Use an image or video that NTNU has purchased access to (more information on stock photos)
• Use images of artists covered by NTNU's framework agreement with BONO
• Check whether the copyright holder has given permission to use the material, e.g. via a Creative Commons licence. You can do this in various ways:
  • Search for CC-licensed images, music, videos, etc. via creativecommons.org
  • Many museums and libraries allow you to search for images with open licences in their collections. Examples include the National Library and Gunnerus Library
  • Images with CC licences can be searched for via Google Advanced Image Search. Select the desired licence under 'Usage rights'.
  • Search for images in Oria's advanced search.

Please note that there are several types of Creative Commons licences. You must check which rights are associated with the cc license for each image you want to use. Works that have 'fallen into the public domain' can be used without permission. In Norway, this applies after the author has been dead for over 70 years. If you need to use media that is not available under an open licence, you must ask the copyright holder for permission before using it in your work.

When you own the copyright 

As a student, you own the copyright to any assignment you write. See more information about copyright for student assignments at NTNU.

If you have taken your own photos or made videos, for example, you can add a licence to let others know what they are allowed to do with your material. This website can help you choose a Creative Commons licence.

You may also wish to consult NTNU's guidelines on open science and licence use for publication.