The Tate website contains a wealth of artworks, archive, film and other content for the public to enjoy.
Creative works are protected by copyright, which means they have to be checked and cleared before they are used anywhere, including on the Tate website itself.
Copyright often seems more complicated than it is, so what is it?
In legal terms, in the UK, copyright is granted to the original creator of a Literary, Dramatic, Musical or Artistic work,
as well as of films, sound recordings and broadcasts.
This allows creatives to control the way their works are reproduced for a set period of time.
What does this mean in terms of Tate content?
Well, whatever type of content we are looking at, some basic rules apply.
Copyright is usually owned by the creator
so it’s always important to know who made something.
This might be the artist, film-maker or the person writing the letter – not the person receiving it.
For example, Nigel Henderson took this photo, so the copyright belongs to him.
But, copyright does not last forever.
When an artist dies, the copyright is passed on to their beneficiary for the next 70 years.
So, with the Nigel Henderson photo, the copyright has been passed to his estate,
who are a group of people assigned to look after his work.
And even though Tate owns the original object, the right to reproduce that work remains with the copyright holder.
Tate have also gained permission from them to show the work on the website.
Once copyright has expired, and as long as the owner of the physical work is also happy, the work can be used in any way.
This includes commercially,
for education,
and for creative use too.
Did you notice this?
Creative Commons are licenses through which certain material has been released for specific uses.
For example, educational and non-commercial use.
This means that we could use the images as long as money’s not made from them,
the work is not changed in any way, and the work is credited.
So where Creative Commons licensed content is used, be sure to include a written credit with this information.
There are also exemptions to the normal rules of copyright in circumstances such as:
Fair Dealing, when only a small percentage of something is used;
Criticism and Review, when someone is analysing or discussing the work or ideas and themes behind it;
Private Study, when you’re studying something yourself;
and Incidental Use, when something is used without intention, such as these paintings in the background.
When creating and uploading your own content, be aware that if you include images of people, you need to ask for their permission.
Be clear about the rights you own by adding a credit line.
When using Tate content, the info you need is on the item’s webpage.
Though you should also bear in mind that things like videos you use may themselves contain copyright material that you need to license.
If you’re making a film, be sure to credit the works like this at the end of the film.
For more information you can download a brief guide to copyright from the link in the description.
You can also contact our copyright team here at Tate who will be happy to help.
So, don’t let copyright stop you using and sharing Tate content.
Whether it’s in a classroom, in your own learning, on social media,
or making an album with Tate content and your own.