1. Document Control
Policy Owner: Principal / Director
Responsible Committee: Management Committee (with Academic Board oversight where academic materials are concerned)
Approval Authority: Principal / Director
Effective From: 25/12/2025
Version: 1.0
Applies To: All staff, students, visiting lecturers, contractors, associates and third parties creating, using or distributing materials connected to Equra College London.
2. Purpose
Equra College London is committed to respecting intellectual property rights and ensuring clarity over ownership and permitted use of teaching materials, learning resources, assessments, student work and College-branded content. This policy sets out:
a. How intellectual property (IP) is owned and used.
b. Expectations for staff and students when using third-party content.
c. Permissions and restrictions for copying, sharing, publishing and commercial use.
d. How IP issues are managed in partner arrangements and external collaborations.
3. Scope
This policy covers intellectual property connected to:
a. Teaching and learning materials (slides, handouts, recordings, videos, worksheets, online content).
b. Assessment materials (briefs, questions, case studies, marking rubrics).
c. Student work (essays, reports, projects, portfolios, presentations, recordings).
d. Research outputs and scholarly work produced in a College context.
e. Branding and marketing materials (logos, website content, brochures).
f. Software, digital content and learning platforms.
g. Content developed with partners or delivered under partner arrangements.
4. Definitions
Intellectual property: Legal rights that protect creations of the mind, including copyright, trademarks, designs, patents and database rights.
Copyright: The main IP right covering written content, teaching materials, recordings, images and creative works.
Third-party content: Content owned by someone else (publishers, authors, websites, images, videos, software, datasets).
Licence: Permission to use IP under specific terms.
5. Ownership of Intellectual Property
5.1 College-owned materials
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the College owns copyright in teaching materials, assessment materials, templates, policy documents and learning resources created specifically for Equra College London by employees in the course of their employment.
5.2 Associate staff, contractors and visiting lecturers
Where materials are created by contractors, associates or visiting lecturers, ownership and permitted use must be defined in writing. In the absence of a written agreement, the College will require sufficient rights to use the materials for teaching delivery, assessment and quality assurance purposes.
5.3 Student work
Students normally own copyright in their assessed work. However, by submitting work, students grant the College a non-exclusive right to:
a. Mark and moderate the work.
b. Use the work for quality assurance and external review (including partner review and external examiner review where applicable).
c. Retain the work in accordance with records retention rules.
The College will not publish or publicly share student work without the student’s permission, except where legally required.
5.4 College branding
All College branding, including the College name, logo, website content and marketing materials, is owned by the College or licensed to the College. Unauthorised use is not permitted.
6. Permitted Use of College Materials
6.1 Staff use
Staff may use College-owned teaching and assessment materials for College purposes only. Staff must not:
a. Distribute materials externally without authorisation.
b. Sell College materials.
c. Upload College materials to public platforms without permission.
d. Share assessment content in a way that compromises assessment integrity.
6.2 Student use
Students may use College teaching materials for their personal study. Students must not:
a. Share materials publicly or with third parties without permission.
b. Sell or commercially distribute College materials.
c. Upload teaching resources, recordings, or assessments to public websites or social media.
d. Record teaching sessions without permission where recording is restricted.
Any permitted recording arrangements must follow College rules and data protection requirements.
7. Use of Third-Party Intellectual Property
7.1 General requirement
Staff and students must respect third-party copyright and licensing rules. This includes proper citation and compliance with permitted use.
7.2 Prohibited behaviour
The following are prohibited unless permission is obtained:
a. Copying copyrighted texts, images, charts or videos beyond permitted limits.
b. Using licensed resources outside the terms of the licence.
c. Downloading or sharing pirated materials.
d. Using third-party content without acknowledgment or with false attribution.
7.3 Fair dealing and educational use
Where applicable, limited use may be permitted for educational purposes under fair dealing principles, but this must remain proportionate and properly referenced. Where there is uncertainty, staff should seek guidance before using the material.
8. Recording of Teaching Sessions and Use of Recordings
8.1 Ownership and permitted use
Recordings made by the College or on College systems are College-controlled resources, subject to this policy and data protection requirements.
8.2 Restrictions
Unauthorised recording, distribution or publication of recordings is prohibited.
8.3 Consent and privacy
Recording practices must comply with the Data Protection Policy and privacy notices, including transparency to participants about recording and intended use.
9. Partnerships, External Delivery and Subcontracting
Where programmes are delivered with partners or through third-party providers:
a. Ownership and use rights for teaching and assessment materials must be documented.
b. Partner access to materials must be controlled and limited to legitimate delivery and quality assurance needs.
c. Restrictions must be applied to prevent unauthorised reuse outside the arrangement.
d. Any partner requirements relating to IP must be followed.
10. AI Tools and Intellectual Property
Where AI tools are used in creating or supporting materials:
a. Staff and students remain responsible for ensuring they do not infringe third-party copyright.
b. AI outputs must not be assumed to be free of IP restrictions.
c. Content generated using AI that reproduces copyrighted material may breach this policy.
d. Use of AI in student assessment must comply with the Academic Integrity, Plagiarism and AI Use Policy.
11. Breaches of this Policy
Breach of this policy may result in action under relevant procedures, including:
a. Student disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Misconduct Procedure where relevant.
b. Staff conduct action under the Staff Conduct, Recruitment and Professional Standards Policy.
c. Legal action where serious infringement occurs.
12. Reporting Concerns
Concerns about intellectual property misuse, unauthorised distribution, or suspected infringement should be reported to the Principal / Director or designated officer. Where the concern involves wrongdoing in the public interest, it may be raised under the Whistleblowing policy.
13. Record Keeping
The College will maintain appropriate records of IP agreements, permissions and key decisions relating to ownership and use of materials.
14. Monitoring and Review
This policy will be reviewed annually and updated where operational, partner or regulatory changes require revision.
15. Related Policies and Documents
a. Academic Integrity, Plagiarism and AI Use Policy
b. Student Code of Conduct
c. Academic Misconduct Procedure
d. Staff Conduct, Recruitment and Professional Standards Policy
e. IT Acceptable Use Policy (Students)
f. IT Acceptable Use Policy (Staff)
g. Information Security Policy
h. Data Protection Policy
i. Privacy Notice
j. Website and Marketing Privacy Notice
k. Data Retention and Records Management Policy