To help clarify what can and can’t be shared, the Copyright Office has updated the UM copyright guidelines. These updates are here to support students in making informed choices.

The university is committed to supporting a respectful academic environment and protecting the rights of professors, instructors and fellow students. 

Please remember: sharing, recording or uploading course content without permission — including distributing lecture materials or recordings without permission — is not allowed and may have serious consequences under UM’s Student Discipline and Misconduct procedures.

For more information, please review the Student Non-Academic Misconduct and Concerning Behaviour Procedure and the Student Discipline Bylaw.

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.

Learn more about copyright.

See related story: https://news.umanitoba.ca/updated-um-copyright-guidelines-add-clarity-for-faculty-students/

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 

More copyright workshop times 

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. 

Learn more about copyright

The Copyright Office has updated its web offerings to include some of the most asked about recent topics, including generative AI, locating free to use images, and copyright and note sharing websites. You can find this updated information on the Copyright Office intranet and website.

Consider attending an information session for more in depth information about copyright for faculty and instructors and how to responsibly use images. The Copyright Office has a variety of upcoming sessions that you can attend or contact the Copyright Office to book a session for you or your team to attend at your convenience.

Register here for one of the following upcoming sessions:

• July 15, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. – Copyright: What faculty and instructors need to know
• July 18, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. – Copyright: What faculty and instructors need to know
• July 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. – Copyright: What faculty and instructors need to know
• August 14, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. – Using Images
• August 22, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. – Using Images
• August 30, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. – Copyright: What faculty and instructors need to know

If you have questions, the Copyright Office is here to help! Contact um.copyright@umanitoba.ca for assistance.

To mark Fair Dealing Week (Feb. 20 to 24), the University of Manitoba is launching the new copyright course incorporating UM created-resources and modules from the Canadian Association of Research Libraries for faculty, instructors and staff. To make copyright decisions even easier, the course also incorporates a new copyright decision tool to help users navigate the UM Copyright Guidelines.

Animated copyright course (modules)

Streamlined so you can find the information you need quickly — whether you are a user or creator of materials — the new course features animated modules that require less than 7 minutes of your time.

The course is self-directed to allow users to work at their own pace and return to a module if required, and earn badges for completing different content topics.

Teaching staff are asked to complete the tutorial as part of the University’s copyright due diligence.

Make copyright decisions easier

A new copyright tool guides users to assess whether the copying is permitted under the UM Copyright Guidelines with a series of questions.

For copying that falls outside of the guidelines, the tool will populate an email to the Copyright Office with details of the proposed copying for additional assistance. The Copyright Office will review whether additional options, such as permissions and licensing, are available.

Access through your UM Learn account

Instructors have full access to the Copyright Course and decision tool through their UM Learn accounts, and you may also self-register at universityofmanitoba.desire2learn.com/d2l/login

Thanks for your efforts in helping to make UM copyright-compliant!

Need help with the course, tool, or with copyright in general? Contact the Copyright Office at um_copyright [at] umanitoba [dot] ca or 204-474-7277. Copyright Guidelines and other resources are available on the Copyright Office website.

Each 60-minute session covers:

• Fair dealing and the UM Copyright Guidelines
• Top tips and best practices
• Using UM Libraries resources
• Using images
• Creative Commons licenses search strategies and license types
• How to protect your copyright

Upcoming sessions on Microsoft Teams

Monday, Sept. 19
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Join here

Tuesday, Sept. 27
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Join here
 
Thursday, Oct. 6
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Join here 

Or contact the Copyright Office for information

The Copyright Office supports the UM Community with copyright questions and assessments of materials for educational use. If you can’t attend a session, we’d be happy to book one at your convenience for you and your team. Contact the Copyright Office with your questions or for further information.

UM Copyright Office

204-474-7277

um.copyright@umanitoba.ca  

umanitoba.ca/copyright

If these questions sound familiar, the Copyright Office is here to help, with two new online presentations. Open to all members of the UM educational community, these sessions will focus on image use and copyright.

LEARN THE RULES

Friday, June 25. Noon-1:00 PM

Click here to join the meeting

Get an overview of copyright considerations for image use in a variety of situations—from use in course materials to the UM website and social media.

GET THE SKILLS

Tuesday, June 29. 9:00 – 10:00 AM

Click here to join the meeting 

There are a lot of high quality, no-cost visual assets available online. You just need to know where to look. The search strategies shared in this session will enable you to find the image you need from copyright-friendly sources.

Attend one or both sessions. If these dates don’t work, the Copyright Office can come to you.

Like all presentations offered by the Copyright Office, these sessions can be delivered at a date and time that meets your schedule, whether one-on-one or to an entire department.

Contact the Copyright Office for more information (um.copyright@umanitoba.ca / 204-474-7277 or 9607).

Wednesday, February 10, noon – 1:00 PM

Click here to join the meeting

Faculty and instructors — you can now learn best practices for UM Copyright Guidelines and Canadian copyright law. Ensure the course materials you share with students are copyright-compliant.

In under an hour we’ll cover:

• Copyright in online course delivery

While much remains the same as teaching in person, there are a fewsignificant differences to be aware of.

• The do’s and don’ts of sharing online content.

Tips on how to verify a work has been posted legally on the internet

• Terms of use for e-Resources available through U of M Libraries

The most reliable source for copyright friendly materials

• Free to use images, figures, photos, and artwork

From Creative Commons to the Public Domain. Search strategies and CC license basics

If you prefer to go at your own pace, try the Copyright Office – Webinars & Educational Resources hub on UM Learn

• A one-stop source for copyright info whether you are teaching on campus or online.  You can access it by logging in here or look for it on the UM Learn homepage under “My Courses”. Contact um.copyright@umanitoba.ca if you have any login issues.

Or let us come to you.

Whether it’s a one-on-one meeting or an entire department, copyright information sessions are available on demand to fit your needs and schedule. Sessions can be adapted to ensure the content is relevant to specific Faculties and Departments.

For more information or to have your copyright questions answered, we are here to help

• U of M Copyright Office
  203 Allen Physics Building

um.copyright@umanitoba.ca

(204) 474-7277 / 9607

That’s why the UM Copyright Office has developed the Copyright Office—Webinars & Educational Resources site, a one-stop knowledge base on UM Learn. You can download recorded webinars, print and electronic media on the use of copyright protected works at U of M.

Faculty, instructors and academic staff already enrolled in the U of M Copyright Tutorial in UM Learn can automatically access the site by logging in here — or look for it on your UM Learn homepage under “My Courses.”

Not sure if you have access? Contact the U of M Copyright Office to get registered: um.copyright@umanitoba.ca

New! Copyright Log in and Learn Live Demo sessions

Also new from the U of M Copyright Office this fall are a series of Frequently Asked Copyright Questions (FAQ) Live Demo Sessions.

Using screen-sharing in Microsoft Teams, Copyright Office experts will demonstrate search strategies for online images, assess copyright status of online video and text resources, interpreting Creative Commons licenses, and more.

Join us on Microsoft Teams Wednesday, October 14 from noon-1 PM.

Contact the U of M Copyright Office for more information.
um [dot] copyright [at] umanitoba [dot] ca
(204) 474-7277 or (204) 474-9607

Instructors are invited to join an hour long webinar by the Copyright Office to learn the basics of copyright in online course delivery, get your questions answered, and learn how to get support for your copyright questions.

Monday, May 4, 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Monday, May 11, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Free-to-use materials for online course delivery

As you are choosing materials for online course delivery consider a variety of free to use materials available, including: Public Domain, Open Educational Resources, and Creative Commons. These materials are either copyright free or provide users with broad permission for use (or even modification) and are highly flexible and adaptable to online course delivery.

Instructors are invited to learn more about free to use resources, where you can locate them, and how to use them in this hour-long webinar from the Copyright Office.

May 6, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
May 13, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

The webinars will be delivered through Cisco Webex. Registration is required but you do not need Webex in order to attend.

Register for any of these sessions through the U of M Events Calendar.

Contact the U of M Copyright Office for more information.
um.copyright@umanitoba.ca
(204) 474-7277 or (204) 474-9607

What is Fair Dealing?

Fair Dealing is a provision in Canada’s Copyright Act that grants an exception to copyright protection for specified purposes such as research and education, as long as the use is fair. Fair dealing aims to strike a balance between the rights of the creator and the rights of the user–allowing for the use of a limited portion, or “short excerpts,” of copyright protected materials.

Some of the guidelines around fair dealing include citing all copyrighted material used–including clipart, images, videos and audio recordings–and ensuring that you are using only short excerpts, generally up to 10% of a work. Other options include obtaining permission from the publisher or copyright owner or using materials in the public domain or Creative Commons. You can find out more about what constitutes “fair dealing” on our UM Copyright Guidelines (pdf).

Why Fair Dealing matters

Students, faculty, instructors, librarians and support staff make use of Fair Dealing on a regular basis for educational, private study and research purposes. For instance, faculty or students copying a chapter or an article for research purposes may be exercising their Fair Dealing rights.

Take some time during the week of February 24-28 to learn more about Fair Dealing and how it works: Register now for our new Copyright Tutorial.

If you have questions about Fair Dealing or other aspects of copyright, contact the Copyright Office at um [dot] copyright [at] umanitoba [dot] ca

For general inquiries, contact the Copyright Office at um_copyright [at] umanitoba [dot] ca or 204-474-7277 / 9607. Copyright Guidelines and other resources are available on the Copyright Office website.