Copyright issues regarding videos and DVDs
Television and radio broadcasts
The University holds a licence from the Educational Recording Agency (ERA) that enables us to record and store "freeview" UK television and radio broadcasts. This covers BBC television and radio, ITV (including ITV2 and ITV3), C4, E4, S4C and Five but not subscription services such as Sky. The ERA website gives a comprehensive explanation of the licence. Please bear in mind that:
- "Programmes may only be recorded, retained, stored and copied by licensed establishments for non-commercial 'educational purposes'."
- "All recordings...must be clearly and appropriately labelled. Failure to do so may lead to licences being withdrawn."
- Only University staff can make or copy ERA recordings: "teachers or other employees of a licensed educational establishment, e.g. technicians, librarians or auxiliaries, may make recordings on-site or at home".
- ERA recordings cannot be adapted or re-edited.
- The ERA licence only allows us to hold "programmes recorded after 30th May 1990".
- "The copying of commercially produced, pre-recorded videos, audio tapes, CDs and DVDs is not authorised by the ERA scheme."
Forgot to set the video?
The University does not currently provide a complete off-air recording facility. However, if academic staff would like us to acquire a particular TV broadcast, the Library is a member of the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC).
Every year, this allows us to request up to 50 copies of formerly broadcast television (from BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, ITV, C4 and C5) selected from the BUFVC Off-Air Recording Back-Up Service which covers 1998 onwards. TRILT (Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching) will help in identifying the date, time and channel of a particular programme.
Please contact the Library if you would like to make a BUFVC request.
Non-UK videos and DVDs
In order to comply with current legislation, pre-recorded feature films and television programmes can only be added to library stock when they have been classified for UK release by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
Therefore, we cannot stock unclassified foreign DVDs or videos, apart from the exemptions listed by the Video Recordings Act 1984, i.e. "educational works or works predominantly concerned with sport, religion and music".
Borrowing and viewing videos and DVDs
All the Library’s stock is loaned for the purposes of non-profit private domestic or educational use only. Our videos and DVDs must never be shown publicly for entertainment purposes without the express written permission of the copyright holder.