Updated UM copyright guidelines add clarity for faculty, students
New copyright guidelines posters available soon
UM’s newly revised Copyright Guidelines help faculty, staff and students determine what may be legally copied or shared. The updated guidelines better reflect the internal practice at UM and provide greater context about the steps taken to determine whether or not you can or should use Fair Dealing.
New “Check before you copy” posters will be distributed to all UM units and are required to be posted in immediate proximity to all public and office photocopiers, printers and scanners indefinitely. All old copyright posters should be removed and discarded once the new one is posted.
Copyright is your responsibility
Canada’s Copyright Act and the University of Manitoba’s Use of Copyright-Protected Materials Policy govern your rights and responsibilities as university community members when copying or sharing copyright-protected works.
If you copy, scan, or share works (print or digital):
- You must have appropriate permission or licensing from the copyright owner; or
- Your copying must be permitted by the Copyright Act (Example: Fair Dealing exemption).
Note: The University of Manitoba is not liable for any infringing copies made or shared using copiers, scanners, or other devices at the University.
Fair dealing
Subject to various qualifications and safeguards, the UM Copyright Guidelines permit Fair Dealing copying and sharing of short excerpts for the purposes of:
- Research
- Private study
- Education
- Parody
- Satire
- Criticism
- Review
- News reporting
What constitutes Fair Dealing, particularly “short excerpts,” is very specific, depending on the type of work being copied. Copying a full poem from a poetry book or a novella from a literature anthology requires Copyright Office review.
Learn the specifics and exceptions of what can and cannot be reproduced (copied or digitized).
Refer your content to the UM Copyright Office for assessment.
Register for an upcoming copyright workshop
Take advantage of one of the upcoming Copyright workshops to learn more about copyright and the UM Guidelines.
Copyright and Generative AI
Thursday, July 10, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Register for this online workshop
More about copyright, generative AI, and researcher rights.
Copyright – what faculty and instructors need to know
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Register for this online workshop
Using Images
Thursday, August 14, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Register for this online workshop
Questions about copying?
If you are in doubt about the copyright status of materials, the Copyright Office can assist with clarifying what can be copied or how to get permission.
Contact the Copyright Office before you copy at um.copyright@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-7277.