Copyright on teaching materials

Teaching materials are the resources that you created, in the context of your position at the University, for the purpose of teaching your students.

Are you a teacher and have you made, in the context of your position at the University, a work that is copyright protected? For example a digital teaching module? Or have you recorded a knowledge clip or weblecture? Pursuant to article 7 of the Dutch Copyright Act, Leiden University is copyright holder to this work. This is the so-called employer’s copyright.

Would you now like to do something with this work yourself? For example, take the teaching module to your next employer and develop it further? Or include the knowledge clip in your personal portfolio? This is possible when the university grants permission. In concrete terms, this means you must obtain permission from your Faculty Board or interfaculty institute.

This employer’s copyright does not apply to publications (articles, bookchapters and monographs). Teachers themselves own the copyright to their publications. A distinction is therefore made between copyright on publications and copyright on other works.

The above regarding employer's copyright does not apply to guest lecturers, they are not employed by Leiden University, but are employees of their own university/institute. The copyright on the work that they produce during their guest lectureship belongs to them or to their university/institute (depending on the rules that apply there), but not to Leiden University.