If you are copying for personal research/study, please make your own assessment of whether your use is considered fair use.
Permission Seeking Protocol / Workflow for Clearance
Step 1: Make requests ASAP!
Step 2: Identify the rights holder – who should you approach?
Step 3: Formally request permission to include item
Step 4: Keep records of all correspondence
Step 5: Repeat request if you haven’t heard anything
What if you are unsuccessful?
Misconception
Essential details in a permissions request.
Who. Introduce yourself and your institution e.g. “I am a lecturer at NUS and am currently creating a MOOC on [insert topic]”
What. Describe the copyrighted material you wish to use. If possible, provide a complete and accurate citation to the work with page numbers. If you are requesting permission to use images/video clips, you may need to provide copies of the work. An academic article may have pre-print, post-print and published version. Providing a complete and accurate citation also helps to determine if the requestee holds the copyright at all.
When. Do you plan to use the work for a certain time period or indefinitely? State in your email how long you intend to use the work for.
Where. Are you copying for teaching purposes (e.g. to use in MOOC, public website). What is your purpose of making the work? Or are you making multiple copies for distribution? Or are you posting in on your website accessible by the public? However you intend to use it, be sure to specify.
Adapted from: Columbia University Libraries Permissions and Licensing by Dr. Kenneth D. Crews (formerly of Columbia University) under a CC BY 4.0 License
The following pages contain links to sample request forms you can adapt when drafting your own permissions request.
Note: You may have to scroll down the to the bottom of the relevant page(s) to find the link to the permission form.
In response to a request to digitize and stream a video online (based on a real request, names have been changed for privacy):