Copyright for Faculty & Staff

Data, for the most part, is not covered by copyright. Facts, such as an address or the amount of rainfall in a year, are not consider works of intellectual property. However, when individuals or organizations use judgement and skill to interpret data in the form of charts, graphs, visualizations and reports, the representations of the data are subject to copyright.

A database is capable of copyright protection where the selection or arrangement of data is original and more than a mere mechanical exercise. If the database is protected by copyright, the unauthorized copying of that database, in whole or substantial part, would be infringing unless an exception or user’s right applied, such as Fair Dealing. In the context of databases, it should be considered whether the copying reproduces the originality of the database (i.e., its selection or arrangement) or the content of the database itself.

As a best practice, ensure that any data used is properly attributed.