Using other people's material

The Higher Education Institutions Agreement

The right to use material for teaching is largely governed by the agreement negotiated by the organization Bonus Copyright Access. This agreement allows teachers to use other people's copyright-protected material from published Swedish and foreign works in their teaching.

The agreement covers not only copying to paper but also (for example) digital presentations and distribution via a closed learning platform (but not via open/public pages). From a printed book or other publication, teachers are allowed to make copies according to the 15/15 rule, which means 15 percent of a work but no more than 15 pages. From a digital book/publication, teachers can copy and share up to 15 A4 pages from one and the same work.

Please note that there are certain limitations in the agreement. For example, it is not allowed to copy from compulsory course literature from publishing houses. Also, the agreement does not include sound and moving image.

Read more on the Bonus Copyright Access website

Creative Commons

The Bonus Copyright Access agreement (see above) only applies within the context of teaching. Outside this context, teachers can't use other people's material without explicit permission. Instead, you can look up material marked with a so-called Creative Commons license. These licenses allow the use of other people's material, but sometimes with certain specific restrictions.

Read more on the Creative Commons website

Open educational resources (OER)

On our webpage about Open educational Resources you will find more information and tips on where to find materials to use in your teaching.

To the Open educational resources webpage