Seeking Permission

[Updated: 16 Jan 2025]

This page provides information for individuals who have determined that the best course of action would be to contact a copyright holder for permission to use specific copyright-protected material.

Seeking permission directly from the rights holder (or authorized representative) can be the best approach in a number of circumstances when seeking to use copyright-protected material. For instance, you should seek permission if:

• no exception in the Copyright Act applies to your use;
• your intended use differs from what is indicated in a licence agreement; or
• there is no readily available information to indicate how the material can be used. 

  

 

Elements to Include in a Permission Request

 General Considerations

Describe the work, or portion of the work, you want to use

For example:

I am requesting permission to include the following excerpts from your <publication(s)/website/film/etc.> in my <project>:

<Describe the publication(s)/website/film/etc.>
[Example: Title, Author(s), Editor(s), ISBN/ISSN, Publication Date, Page range(s), URL, Selection(s), Excerpt Title, etc.]

Provide details for how you want to use the material

Include information such as:

• Format – e.g., will it be made available online or in print?
• Distribution – e.g., will it be freely available forever, or will it be shared with a select group for individual use?
• Purpose – e.g., non-profit for educational purposes or a commercial use?
• Licensing – if you plan to apply an open licence to the work in which you are including the third-party content (e.g., a CC licence), be sure to include the type and details of the licence in the permission request.
• Acknowledgment – confirm with the rights holder that you will be acknowledging their copyright ownership and grant of permission, and ask if they have a preference for how this information is presented.

 

Special Cases

In addition to the general considerations noted above, permission requests for theses and OER might include specific elements as described in the following sample text.

a. Permission to use material in a Thesis

The sample text below can be used to request permission for the use of third-party content in a thesis. This language requests permission to include the content in the thesis, to be made available online through the University of Alberta Library and Library and Archives Canada only.

I am a graduate student at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada) and am preparing my final thesis. I am requesting permission to include excerpt(s) from your publication(s) described below. The source(s) of the included material will be fully identified in my thesis.

The thesis will be openly available online through the University of Alberta Library and Library and Archives Canada. The non-exclusive, non-commercial licence I am granting to the University of Alberta and (via a sub-licence) Library and Archives Canada allows these institutions to archive, preserve, produce, reproduce, publish, communicate, convert into any format, and to make available my Thesis in print or online by telecommunication to the public for educational, research and non-commercial purposes.

If you intend to publish your thesis on any other website or in any other publication, you will be responsible for obtaining any additional permissions which may be required for this other use of that copyrighted content. For assistance with this type of permission, contact the Copyright Office at copyright@ualberta.ca.

 

b. Permission to use material in an OER

The sample text below can be used as part of a permission request for the use of third-party content in an OER. 

I am in the process of creating an open educational resource (OER), which is a <type of resource> to be entitled <Title>. This resource will be made freely available to everyone via the internet.

I am requesting permission to include the following excerpt(s) from your <publication(s)/website/film/etc.> in my OER: 
<Describe the publication(s)/website/film/etc.>
[Example: Title, Author(s), Editor(s), ISBN/ISSN, Publication Date, Page range(s), URL, Selection(s), Excerpt Title, etc.]

In order to better incorporate the excerpt(s) into the educational resource, I am also requesting permission to adapt, modify, and build upon the excerpt(s) identified above. If you have any concerns regarding such adaptations or modifications, I would be pleased to discuss what I have in mind.

I will be relying on the authorization you provide as an assurance that I have received all the permission I will require to use the identified excerpt(s) in my educational resource. Therefore, if the copyright in any part of the excerpt(s) is held by another party, please let me know, and please provide me with any contact information you have regarding the other rights holder(s).

 

Permission Agreement

The copyright holder may choose to apply terms or conditions of use in exchange for granting permission to use their material. This could include requiring the payment of a fee, as well as setting limits on the duration and manner of use. Arriving at an agreement that works for both parties might require some negotiation.

 

Documentation

Be sure to retain any documentation related to permissions that you have received, either by way of saved email messages or in printed format. It is important to keep a record of who agreed to what in the event your use of the material comes into question.