Images
Copyright exists in diagrams, works of art, photographs and other visual media. The two main copyright exceptions that allow you to use this work in an educational setting are:
Criticism, review or quotation and/or Illustration for instruction.
Use must be fair, so not adversely affect the copyright owner’s ability to profit from their work and you must not use more of the work than is necessary to support the point you’re making. You must also provide attribution, whenever possible.
Creative Commons licensing is a popular way to make in-copyright works available to a wide audience. You do not need to pay to use these resources or ask their creators for permission – though you do need to adhere to the terms of the licence. There are a range of licences available, some place no restrictions on how the material is used (CC0), others allow more limited re-use (e.g. CC BY-NC-ND). See the Licensing page for more info.
Image collections
Creative Commons’ search tool Openverse allows you to search across over 600 million items, mostly images and to filter by the type of CC licence the work has been made available under.
Diverse stock photo resource list: Created by Tara Robertson who when looking at stock image collections, could not find what she was looking for in mainstream collections. This links to different sites, check each for conditions of re-use.
Europeana: Search across over 50 million items from cultural heritage institutions across Europe. Once your initial search results display, it’s possible to filter using the ‘Can I use this?’ and/or by rights statement.
Flickr: Many of the images on Flickr are available under a Creative Commons license. If re-using, make sure that you fully comply with the attribution requirements for each image. LSE Library on Flickr includes images from our collections and from the School’s archive.
Pexels: A free stock photo and video website.
Pixabay: A collection of over 2.6 million images, available for commercial and non-commercial re-use.
The Noun Project: Over 3 million icons, registration required but the basic account is free of charge
Tineye Labs: Try a different approach, search for Creative Commons images by colour.
VADS: Hosts visual art collections from a variety of UK based institutions. Includes over 140,000 images that are freely available for use in learning, teaching and research in the UK. See the full terms and conditions for further details.
Unsplash: Search across over 3 million images, no permission needed for re-use, although attribution is appreciated.
Wikimedia Commons: A media file repository making freely licensed educational media content available to all. Guidance on re-use can be found on the Commons website.
Film and Broadcasts (radio/TV)
LSE subscribes to the ERA licence. As licence holders, we also subscribe to BoB, Box of Broadcasts, an educational streaming service which provides access to films and TV and radio broadcasts. BoB’s Terms & Conditions outline how the service can be used. See also our Licensing page.
You can show films or play recorded audio to students in lecture or seminar rooms due to a specific copyright exception covering the performing, playing or showing work in the course of the activities of an educational establishment. The material being shown must be a legitimate copy eg, streamed from BoB.
Please note, this exception does not cover film club use, where the primary purpose is not ‘instruction’.
The quotation, criticism and review and/or illustration for instruction exceptions referenced under the Images section of this page are also relevant for those wishing to include short clips from film or broadcast content when teaching in person or online. If you require advice on your use, please contact us.
Film screening: film clubs and public events
Films shown at film clubs or other non-teaching events require a special licence unless the film is out of copyright. Licences are usually issued for a specific venue and cover either a single film or a defined repertoire of films. This means that LSE cannot subscribe to a licence that covers all film screenings taking place across the School, and it is the responsibility of those organising the screening to ensure the correct licence is in place.
Licences are available from providers such as FilmBankMedia, the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) and the BFI. If the films are not represented by a licensor, then you will need to seek permission from the film’s copyright holder/s to show it. The Independent Cinema Office contains further information on copyright licensing.
If you wish to screen a film in public, you may also need to apply to the local council for a Temporary Event Notice or Premises Licence. If the sole or main purpose of the film is to ‘provide information, education or instruction’, a TEN or Premises Licence is not required. See the Licensing Act 2003, Sch.1 para. 5.
For additional guidance, see the School’s website and/or contact the Legal Team.
Music
If you play recorded music as part of a teaching activity within LSE buildings with only LSE staff and students present, the copyright exception referenced above (s.34, CDPA) is likely to apply. If people from outside LSE will be present, then you cannot rely on this exception to play music. This is also true if you are playing music at an internal or public event and its main purpose is not to support teaching.
If you wish to play music, for example as background music, or you are screening a film for a film club or public event and this contains a soundtrack, you will need to apply for a licence to cover your event. TheMusicLicence is administered by PPL PRS Ltd. Some music can be reused free of charge and is made available under a Creative Commons licence, for example Openverse or Freesound.org. Always check the licence associated with a piece of music before using it.