Blog written by Chris Morrison, Copyright, Licensing & Policy Manager…

I am delighted to announce the launch of the University of Kent Copyright Literacy Strategy 2020. As mentioned in previous posts this has been a collaborative effort involving University staff, students and peers across the sector and beyond.

The strategy is aligned with the University’s 2025 strategy and sets out a vision that by 2025 people working and studying at Kent will feel confident in making informed decisions about using copyright material and will understand the role copyright plays in innovation and creation of new knowledge.

Copyright issues have become particularly pressing as we have responded to the pandemic by shifting our work online as we never have before. It is now particularly important to understand the implications of copyright law and licences when sharing the work of others, and how to communicate the work we create whilst at the University.

I am very pleased that Professor Richard Reece, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, has agreed to be the senior academic champion for the strategy. Richard says:

“The launch of the University of Kent Copyright Literacy Strategy represents a milestone. Across the sector, there is a deal of confusion among both students and academics as to precisely what can be done for teaching and other purposes with material produced by others. The Strategy aims to clarify this and provide support and other services to enable staff and students to move forward with confidence. By confronting copyright issues head-on, University of Kent is at the forefront of the sector and will enable the institution to respond more appropriately to the current pandemic and beyond.”

The strategy sets out a number of key values related to copyright. It clarifies that staff and students should act responsibly, but also be able to question assumptions about copyright. The strategy confirms Kent’s commitment to supporting its staff make informed decisions and we have just published entirely new copyright guidance that addresses the main areas that we come across at the University.

I’m looking forward to convening the steering group for the strategy which Richard Reece will be chairing, as well as developing our network of people whose roles involve advising on aspects of copyright law.

If you have any thoughts relating to the strategy, or you’d like to get involved in our work please get in touch: email copyright@kent.ac.uk