Copyright for students
Copyright means that the creator of a work has the right to decide how it may be used and distributed. This may include, for example, books, presentations, music, texts, works of art, and photographs, or parts of works such as tables, figures, or graphs. Copyright applies regardless of whether the work is presented in printed or electronic form (for example, on the internet).
Copyright
Do students own the copyright to their work?
Yes, as a student, you own the copyright to what you create during your education, for example student projects or thesis work, unless otherwise agreed. If a teacher wants to use your material in teaching or publish it online, your written, signed, and dated consent is required.
What applies when several students have collaborated?
If several students have worked together on a project or degree thesis and their individual contributions cannot be separated into distinct works, then the students have joint copyright. In these cases, consent from all students is required before any use of the material.
What applies to collected material?
Data collected for a student project or degree thesis is not subject to copyright. During the work, all collected data must be available for review by the supervisor and examiner, but there is no obligation to hand over this material to the university after the work is finished.
What role does the supervisor have for a degree thesis?
The supervisor's involvement does not automatically entitle them to joint copyright. Joint copyright only applies if the supervisor has been a co-author, which is rarely the case at bachelor's or master's level. However, the supervisor's name must be stated when the thesis is published.
If the results of the thesis are used in a later publication:
- the publication must either refer to the thesis, or
- the student and supervisor must be listed as co-authors.
How may students use teaching materials?
The teaching materials that have been developed and are used by teachers in courses are usually protected by copyright. Both books used in courses and materials developed by teachers, such as lectures, presentations, and exam questions, etc., are protected by copyright. This means that it is not permitted to distribute the material outside the course or to make it public.
Students have the right to use teaching materials for private use, e.g. by taking notes or making a copy of a presentation for their own use. However, it is not permitted to make multiple copies or make it publicly available by publishing it on digital platforms or social media.
Copyright
Are students allowed to quote other people's copyrighted works in their thesis?
Yes, students have the right to quote from other people's works, as long as the source is clearly stated.
Can students use other people's images or diagrams?
Students may only use other people's images or diagrams if:
- They have permission from the copyright holder.
- The image is marked with a Creative Commons license.
- The protection period has expired.
Recommendation: Always assume that permission is required. If the copyright status is unclear, the image can be omitted from the electronic version of the thesis in DIVA.
The student's responsibility
As the author of the thesis, the student is responsible for ensuring that the work complies with copyright rules.
Agreements with companies
Collaboration with companies – what applies?
When collaborating with companies, students may handle information that the company wishes to keep confidential in order to protect its business. Student projects or degree projects may also result in patentable inventions that must remain confidential until a patent application has been filed. Sometimes, parts of a student project or thesis are based on information that, from the client's point of view, should not be public and easily accessible. If there is a risk that sensitive information may be included in a student project or thesis, the consequences and handling of this must be discussed at an early stage.
Companies may request that the student:
- Sign a confidentiality agreement (confidentiality or Non-Disclosure Agreement) in which the student undertakes not to disclose or disseminate the company's information or results to third parties without the company's consent.
- Transfer rights to patentable results arising during the project to the company (patent remuneration).
The basic rule is that the student owns the copyright to their work, but if an agreement is signed with a company, this may change. However, certain things cannot be agreed upon between the student and the company, such as access to the thesis as a public document once it has been submitted and examined.
What does an agreement between a student and a company entail?
- The agreement is only between the student and the company, not BTH.
- Examiners and supervisors at BTH are not allowed to sign confidentiality agreements, as this may hinder them in their professional practice.
- The terms and conditions may affect the student's right to their results, including the right to disclose the results to the public.
- The agreement may prevent the approval of the work that the examiner is to approve, as it must be publicly available material and may make it impossible to be assessed on a thesis.
If the agreement contains a clause that equates the student with an employee, the student may receive compensation for patentable results. At the same time, the student loses the right to the patent, which then falls to the company.
Should I sign an agreement?
You must decide for yourself whether or not to sign an agreement.
- If you do not sign an agreement, the company may choose not to collaborate on a student project or thesis, or deny you access to information.
- If you sign an agreement that equates you with an employee, you are usually entitled to reasonable compensation for the results. This compensation is normally lower than if you are considered a free author. At the same time, you transfer future patent rights to the company
- If you sign an agreement in which you undertake not to disclose or publish certain company information that is required for the work to be examined or published, this may result in the thesis not being assessed or approved.
Examination and public access
- When a thesis is submitted for examination, it becomes a public document in accordance with the principle of public access.
- The same applies to idea sketches, project plans, and communication with supervisors and examiners.
- The presentation, defense, and opposition of the thesis should be public, so sensitive information should be avoided.
- If the thesis contains patentable results, a patent application must be submitted before a public presentation and examination.
Publication and archiving
- The student owns the copyright and decides whether the thesis should be published.
- Archiving is mandatory – all degree projects are saved in BTH's DiVA database.
- Upon publication, the student grants BTH a non-exclusive license to publish the thesis in DiVA, and the thesis then becomes available and searchable. The student may revoke this license at any time, but the archived copy remains a public document.
Confidentiality
Who has access to the thesis?
When a thesis is submitted to BTH, it becomes a public document, which means that anyone can request access to it. The same applies to:
- Idea sketches and project plans submitted for assessment or feedback.
- Communication with supervisors and examiners.
If the thesis contains sensitive information from a company or organization, that part can only be considered confidential if it is supported by the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (SFS 2009:400). However, the material used for examination must always be public.
Form "Request for confidentiality" docx, 84 kB.
Can the thesis be classified as confidential?
A thesis can only be classified as confidential if it meets the requirements of the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act.
BTH advises against confidentiality, as it may make it more difficult for the student to use the thesis in, for example, job applications.
If confidentiality is still desired:
- A written request must be submitted, stating why confidentiality is required and for how long.
- The confidentiality must not be so extensive that it affects the examination.
What if a company requests confidentiality?
In some cases, companies may request that the thesis be kept confidential. If this is the case, the company should:
- Inform the student and supervisor well in advance of the start of the thesis.
- An assessment must be made as to whether the confidentiality requirement is compatible with the requirements for public access to the examination.
Alternatives to confidentiality
To avoid confidentiality, the following measures can be taken:
- Sensitive data can be aggregated so that the information is no longer sensitive.
- Sensitive material can be placed in appendices that are removed in the published version.
Please note that all information needed to assess the thesis must be available to the examiner and supervisor.