Are there any databases of copyright materials that I can use for free without worrying about copyright?

Yes. There’s a wealth of material out there which is either in the public domain or available under what is known as Creative Commons licensing, which generally means the work is available for free, subject to certain limited conditions, such as non-commercial use only and acknowledgment of the author.

The Resources page in the Copyright and Teaching guide includes links to a variety of resources for finding Public Domain and/or Creative Commons licensed works.

For other online materials, a recommended best practice is to check the website’s ‘Terms of Use’, or ‘Legal Notices’ section to confirm what conditions apply to use of the website’s material. In many cases, you may be able to use the material for free for non-commercial and educational purposes.

Copyright in the Campus Classroom