Curriculum Property Rights Policy

PURPOSE
To clarify intellectual property rights in and permissible uses of curricular  materials used in the School of Medicine  (i.e., the School).

AUDIENCE
All medical students, staff and faculty

LCME STANDARD
Not Applicable

POLICY

  1. All educational materials created, posted, or provided for instructional purposes in the School may be used by students solely for their personal study in the course of their degree. 
    1. The content contained in such educational materials may be the intellectual property of the University or individual lecturers/tutors, or third parties, depending in each case on the circumstances, applicable law, university policy, and any contractual requirements. Instructors should consult the University of California copyright policies (linked in the References) for additional information.
    2. The School may continue to use University-owned educational materials and any Course Approval Documents (as defined in the University Ownership of course materials policy) after the creator of such educational materials has left the institution. Ownership of course materials will be determined in accordance with University of California policy.
  2. Students, staff and faculty are prohibited from publishing, reproducing, or distributing University-owned educational materials to third parties (including but not limited to posting these materials to a publicly accessible website, application, or social media), whether or not for commercial gain, without the prior express written permission of the University. 
  3. The School complies with the United States copyright law in the reproduction and copying of any content contained in educational materials (see References).
    1. The doctrine of fair use permits the use of a copyrighted work without the copyright owner’s permission in limited situations; see Section 107 of the Copyright Act.
    2. Instructors are expected to comply with U.S. copyright law and understand the doctrine of fair use and its application and limitations in the educational setting. Instructors should consult University resources on copyright in the classroom (https://copyright.universityofcalifornia.edu/use/teaching.html#p=in_the_classroom) to reduce the risk of copyright infringement when third-party content is incorporated into educational materials or classroom instruction.  
    3. In all cases, educational materials should give appropriate attribution or credit to the authors and owners of third-party content.   

PROCEDURE

  1. Anyone who becomes aware of a possible violation of this policy should report the matter for investigation.
  2. Potential violation by students should be reported to the Associate Dean for Students
    • If confirmed, a violation could be considered a violation of the Student Code of Academic and Social Conduct and could lead to a recommendation for dismissal by the Committee on Student Promotions.
  3. Potential violations by staff or faculty should be reported to the Office of Medical Education, Assistant Dean for Medical Education, and the Academic Personnel Office, Assistant Dean for Academic Personnel, respectively, for investigation and determination of next steps.

RESPONSIBILITY
Committee on Educational Policy
Academic Personnel Office

REFERENCES
Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17)
UC Davis Copyright and Teaching
UC Copyright and Fair Use Policy
UC Course Materials Ownership Policy
UC Policy on Copyright Ownership
University of California guidance on fair use for teaching and research

RELATED POLICIES
Code of Academic & Social Conduct
Pre-Clerkship Classroom Policy

POLICY OWNER
Committee on Educational Policy

REVIEWED & APPROVED BY
Academic Personnel Office
Assistant Dean for Medical Education
Associate Dean for Students
Committee on Educational Policy*
UC Davis Office of the Campus Counsel
UC Davis Scholarly Communications Officer
Vice Dean/Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education

REVIEWED DATE and REVIEW CYCLE
September 2025, 5-year review cycle

* indicates the Policy Owner