| How much effort should I make in tracking down a copyright owner and what should I do if I cannot find the copyright owner for something I wish to use? |
Wherever possible you must conduct a thorough search for the copyright owner of a work you wish to use. If you wish to use a work but cannot find the rights holder even after a thorough search you should document all efforts that were made to trace the rightsholder, and keep a record of this information - listing the names of creators that you have attempted to trace so that this information is at hand should it be requested. You may also wish to add the following disclaimer to your own work : "Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, obtain permission from them and to ensure that all credits are correct. XXXX has acted in good faith at all times and on the best information available to us at the time of publication. We apologise for any inadvertent omissions, which will be corrected as soon as possible if notification is given to us in writing." The Intellectual Property Office have also issued guidance on performing diligent searches for the rights owners of different types of material specifically related to “Orphan Works” – works for where no Copyright Owner can be traced even after a diligent search. |
| I think I’ve cleared the rights to the material I’ve used in my work which is now being hosted online but am still nervous I’ve missed something or made a mistake, is there anything else I should do ? |
Yes. You can add the following copyright takedown policy statement to your work In the event that you are the owner of the copyright in any of the material within this resource / website and do not consent to the use of your material in accordance with the terms of conditions of use of this website, please contact us and we will withdraw your material from our website forthwith on receipt of your written objection and proof of ownership. In the event that you are approached by a peeved rights owner who has proof that they own something you have reproduced without permission you should withdraw the material immediately and apologise. |