Glossary

A synonym of “derivative”.

You are most likely to encounter this term when publishing, and it is synonymous with your copyright.

When reusing copyrighted content to create something new, it’s possible that the new work could be a collection or derivative. If all of the component parts are easily identifiable, the work is likely a collection. An example would be book of short stories. The creator of the collection of short stories would hold copyright over the particular arrangement and any new content they provide (i.e. an introduction).

Copyright is literally the right to copy. In many jurisdictions, including Canada, authors are entitled to both economic rights and moral rights.

Often shortened to CC, Creative Commons is an international non-profit that works toward a more open future. Creative Commons also provides CC licenses.

Sometimes just referred to as “works”, this is the technical term used in copyright for the thing that is protected – it could be an article, image, play, etc.

A new creative work protected by copyright that contains major elements of one or more other copyrighted works. An example is a play based on a novel.

The rights associated with financial gain that are protected by copyright. For example, the right to publish.

A license where only the party named in the license can exercise the specific rights included in the license. This means that even as the copyright holder, you would not have the ability to exercise rights that were exclusively licensed to another party (i.e. a publisher), without relying on a copyright exception.

For works protected by copyright, the copyright holder can grant licenses to other parties that would allow the other parties to exercise some or all of the rights under copyright. Licenses can be broadly categorized as exclusive or non-exclusive.

The rights to be credited as the author and have the integrity of the work protected.

In a non-exclusive license, the copyright holder is granting specific rights to the party named in the license, but is able to exercise those rights themselves or grant those rights to others if they choose. A Creative Commons license works as a non-exclusive license, granting users of the work specific rights as long as they follow the conditions of the license (i.e. attribution).

Open access refers to materials that can be accessed for free. Specifically, that access is available online without any financial, technical, or legal barriers, beyond having access to the internet. Open Access is also one part of the open movement.

Open Educational Resources are educational materials (including textbooks, streaming video, test banks, podcasts, modules, and much more) that are openly licensed and freely available for anyone to use. OER are licensed in a manner that provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage with the resource (known as The 5 R’s of Open).

All the works that are not protected by copyright. Works can enter the public domain after copyright has expired, or when a creator waives their rights or dedicates a work to the public domain. Because the length of copyright can be different between countries, it is possible for a work to be in the public domain in one country, but not in another.

The Open Movement is an umbrella term for the concept that knowledge should be made freely available for all, and that it should be shared, developed and enriched in an "open," collaborative manner, free from restrictive copyright laws. This movement includes Open Education, Open Access, and much more.

Definition provided by Douglas College Library.