Copyright and Plagiarism |
Facts You Should Know About The Copyright Ordinance Lectures You are warned that notes taken in lectures, and course materials supplied to you by departments, are to be used by you only for the purposes of research or private study. Similarly, lectures may not be recorded without the permission of the lecturer. If the lecturer permits recording, it must be subject to any conditions which are stipulated at the time of granting permission. The copyright of each lecture delivered in the University is vested in the lecturer delivering it and/or the University. Failure to heed this warning may result in an infringement of the copyright laws. Photocopies Any copying of copyright materials by students on self-service copiers within the University must be kept within the scope of fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study under the copyright legislation currently in force in Hong Kong. Although there is no statement in the legislation as to the maximum amount of copying allowed under the fair dealing provision, the following principles should be observed:
In the absence of any quantitative guideline, students are advised against doing, among other things, any of the following:
If these guidelines are not followed, users of the self-service copying machines may render themselves liable to legal action from copyright holders for breach of copyright. The making of copies of copyright materials by Library staff for library users without the express permission of the copyright holder is strictly limited under the copyright law. Generally, subject to certain prescribed conditions, only one copy of one article from a single periodical issue, or one copy of a reasonable proportion of a published literary, dramatic or musical work (other than an article in a periodical) may be supplied by Library staff to a library user solely for the purposes of the user's research or private study. The Government issued a set of guidelines for photocopying of printed works by not-for-profit educational establishments with a view to clarifying the extent of permissible photocopying by teachers for classroom use. These guidelines can be viewed at https://www.ipd.gov.hk/filemanager/ipd/common/copyright/Eng_guidelines_040604.pdf. Please click here for the Frequently Asked Questions. Internet Materials Materials on the Internet are protected by copyright. The mere fact that they are made available to the public via the Internet does not mean that they can be copied without permission. Without the copyright holder's licence or permission, any copying of such material by a student (e.g. including the material in the student's work or printing it out on paper) must not exceed the scope of the fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study. Similarly, uploading of copyright material on to the Internet is an act of copyright infringement if it is done without the consent of the copyright holder. Dissertations The following aspects of the copyright law may affect candidates who will write dissertations:
In case of doubt, it is safest to assume that copyright exists.
Warning against Plagiarism The University does not allow or tolerate plagiarism. This is a grave academic offence. The commission of plagiarism is a violation of the University’s Regulations Governing Students’ Academic Conduct Concerning Assessment. Any student who commits plagiarism is liable to disciplinary action which can result in serious consequences - including expulsion from the University. All new students are expected to consult the University’s website on plagiarism (https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism/) and to complete the Online Course on Plagiarism@HKU Online Learning offered by the Libraries. All students may also consult their teachers for guidance on proper academic practice. |