Julkaisu Tiina Kautio, Sari Karttunen, Nathalie Lefever, Sakarias Sokka

Copyright Questions in Scientific Research

Balancing Availability, Protection, and Responsibility

A new publication from the Center for Cultural Policy Research Cupore explores the challenges researchers face both in using copyright-protected materials and in managing their own rights at various stages of the research and publication processes.

The publication examines researchers’ experiences and views on copyright-related issues concerning the use of research data, open access publishing, the use of artificial intelligence in research, and ethical problems related to authorship. 

According to the findings, many researchers feel they are left alone when dealing with copyright issues. Uncertainty about whether the use of research materials is lawful may result in certain materials being left unused or research results going unpublished. The copyright terms in agreements with employers and publishers are often perceived as unclear. 

The trend toward open access publishing and the author fees charged by scientific publishers for open access create conflicting pressures on research work. According to the findings, problems with access to scientific publications are common, and the embargo periods for parallel publishing set by scientific publishers may be long from the perspective of open access to the results.  

The publication notes that copyright-related problems often stem from limited access to information and support that would allow researchers to understand and interpret copyright regulations and manage their rights throughout the research process. The publication concludes by presenting different potential solutions to the identified problems. 

The research project on copyright questions in scientific research was part of Cupore’s continuous assessment of the Finnish copyright system, which focuses on regularly changing themes. The evaluation work is based on a methodology developed by Cupore. 

Project researchers