When you publish or present material to the public, you are responsible for getting written permission to include or adapt other’s copyright work such as an image, diagram, graph, video or text. This also applies when using images from the internet, or a person's image or voice.
Exceptions apply when:
- the has expired
- a permits your use of the material
- the website's terms and conditions permit your use of the material
- you link to or embed digital material, such as a YouTube video
- you use an insignificant portion of the material
- Griffith’s general music licence permits your use of music
- the Fair Dealing exception for criticism or review, or parody or satire permits your use of the material
- Griffith’s educational licences permit your internal educational use.
Where possible, permissions should cover your current intended use and the full scope of your possible future uses such as future commercial or non-commercial research projects, publications or conferences presentations.
How to request copyright permission
Remember
- Ensure your request matches your intended use and foreseeable future uses.
- Safely store received permissions so that they can be readily retrieved if ever required.
Identify the copyright owner
Permission is required from the copyright owner. The copyright owner is often the publisher but may be:
- the author
- creator
- a company
- an organisation
- a government department
- the owner of a website.
Where multiple authors jointly own the copyright, request permission from the main author.
You can often check the copyright ownership by looking for a copyright statement near the beginning of a publication. For example, the copyright statement, © 2025 Elsevier, indicates that the publisher Elsevier is the copyright owner.
Make the request
Permission for content from online articles and ebooks
Permission for other content
After identifying the copyright owner, send an email, adapting the relevant template as needed.
Permissions templates
Use one of Legal Services' to obtain participant consent for Griffith University activities or projects.
Re: Request to include [an image/graph/part of a video] in [my PHD/creative work/article/book/Griffith teaching material]
Dear [their name or professional title] or To Whom it may concern,
My name is [your name] and I am [include your role
- studying a PHD
- a lecturer in the School of [name]
- a researcher in the school of
- an educational designer]
at Griffith University, in Queensland, É«ÇéÍøÕ¾.
Griffith University is a public non-profit educational institution.
I am seeking your permission to include [give full and exact details of the work you wish to include. You may wish to attach or link to a copy of the work]
- in my thesis for publication on Griffith Research Online
- in an article I am writing/co-authoring
- [give full details of the title and where you intend to publish the article]
- in a book I am writing/co-authoring
- [give full details of the title and the intended book publisher. State if the publication is non-commercial]
- in Griffith University course material
- [give full details of the course and whether the material will be put in Learning@Griffith where it will be accessible to Griffith students studying that course only and the use is non-commercial]
- on Griffith University's website
- [give more details where possible].
Of course, if permission is granted, proper acknowledgment of your [image/graph/video] will be made in [my PHD/my article/my book/Griffith teaching material].
Thank you for taking the time to consider this request.
I look forward to your reply.
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Your telephone number - optional]
Re: Request to include Article in Thesis
Dear [their name or professional title] or To Whom it may concern,
My name is [your name] and I am studying a PHD at Griffith University.
I am the [author/lead author/co-author] of the following article: [give full details of the article including the journal name, year and volume].
I am seeking your permission to include the [post-print/publisher's version] of my article in my thesis for publication on Griffith Research Online 12 months after marking in accordance with Griffith policy. In my thesis, I will provide the URL of your website where my article is published.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this request.
I look forward to your response.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Re: Request to publish on Griffith’s Creative Works repository
Dear [their name or professional title] or To Whom it may concern,
I am a lecturer/academic in [the Creative Arts Research Institute / or alternative Griffith school], at Griffith University in Queensland, É«ÇéÍøÕ¾. As this University is a public non-profit educational institution, Griffith researchers are encouraged to openly publish their research outputs. I am seeking your permission to include in my submission for publication on Griffith’s Creative Works repository your following copyright work.
[give full and exact details of the work you wish to include and, if appropriate, details of how you are intending to include it. You may wish to attach or link to a copy of the work.]
[Examples of creative works include:
- photograph I took of your painting entitled “Beyond my Horizon”
- your performance of my musical composition: “Prelude in E for Violin and Viola”
- your musical composition: “Work 14 for Piano” I performed and recorded
- your performance in my short film: “Watch Out!”
- your artwork or photo titled: “Aquamarine” included within the “Colour by Numbers 2025” exhibition catalogue.]
If permission is granted, proper acknowledgment of your [artwork/performance/music/video] will be made in my [submission/film/catalogue].
Thank you for taking the time to consider this request.
I look forward to your reply.
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Your telephone number - optional]
Re: Request to publish an image or voice
Dear [their name or professional title] or To Whom it may concern,
I am seeking your consent to include your [image/voice] in the [photo/audio/film] within:
- my Creative Work for publication on Griffith’s Creative Works repository
- my thesis for publication on Griffith Research Online
- an article I am writing/co-authoring
- [give full details of the title and where you intend to publish the article]
- a book I am writing/co-authoring
- [give full details of the title and the intended book publisher. State if the publication is non-commercial]
- Griffith University course material
- [give full details of the course and whether the material will be put in Learning@Griffith where it will be accessible to Griffith students studying that course only and the use is non-commercial].
Thank you for taking the time to consider this request.
I look forward to your response.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Need help?
Advice and support
The Copyright and Information Policy Officer provides copyright advice and training across Griffith University for staff and students. Contact the Copyright and Information Policy Officer by emailing copyright@griffith.edu.au or phoning (0)7 3735 5695.
- Reading List Service digitises and makes readings available online for students through in a copyright compliant way.
- The Library assists with supplying movies and TV material for teaching in a copyright compliant way.
- Griffith Enterprise advises on ownership and development of potentially commercial copyright, inventions and other created by staff and students.