Copyright Policy

Copyright, Content Use & Educational Integrity Policy

Effective Date: 5 October 2026

Next Review Date: 12 April 2027

Purpose

This policy explains how CPDmatch and The Climate Path approach third-party publications and other copyright material when creating and delivering educational content.

Its purpose is to protect the rights of authors and publishers, support accurate and transparent education, and give learners, subscribers and partners confidence in our content governance.

It is an operational policy rather than a statement that every possible use is automatically lawful. Copyright questions can depend on the particular work, licence, purpose and extent of use. Where the position is uncertain or the proposed use is material, CPDmatch will seek permission, obtain appropriate advice, or not reproduce the material.

Our approach

Our approach is to:

Link to the original source.
Check the applicable licence or permission.
Create genuinely original educational content.
Acknowledge sources clearly.
Apply human review before publication.
Maintain a documented copyright assessment register.

Core principles

Respect ownership: We recognise that access to a publication does not, by itself, transfer copyright or grant a right to reproduce it.
Prefer signposting over republication: Wherever practical, users are directed to the authorised publisher, DOI, repository or other legitimate source.
Check before use: The copyright notice, open-access licence, publisher terms and any relevant permissions are considered before third-party material is reproduced.
Create original educational value: CPDmatch summaries, learning points, reflections, audio scripts, presentations and pathway material are intended to be independently written educational works, not substitutes for the original publication.
Acknowledge sources: Publications used to inform educational content are clearly identified and linked or cited wherever practicable.
Use the minimum necessary: Where quotation or other limited reuse is justified, the amount used is kept proportionate to the specific purpose.
Maintain human oversight: Artificial intelligence may assist parts of the workflow, but publication decisions and educational outputs are subject to human review.

How we handle publications

Linking to source material

CPDmatch normally provides a citation and link to the authorised source rather than hosting a copy of the publication.

A freely accessible article is not assumed to be freely reproducible. The applicable licence or publisher terms are considered separately.

Hosting PDFs or full-text works

A publisher PDF or other full-text third-party work will not normally be uploaded to CPDmatch unless the licence expressly permits the intended hosting and redistribution, the material is in the public domain, or appropriate permission has been obtained.

Where the position is unclear, CPDmatch will link to the authorised source instead.

Abstracts

CPDmatch does not assume that a published abstract may be reproduced in full merely because it is visible online or the article is open to read.

Unless the applicable licence or permission clearly allows reproduction, CPDmatch will normally provide an original summary and link to the publisher or authorised source.

Figures, tables, photographs and graphics

Figures, tables, photographs and other visual material are treated as separately protected content where appropriate.

They are reproduced only when the applicable licence or permission permits the proposed use, or where a specific legal exception has been assessed as applicable.

Otherwise, CPDmatch describes the relevant finding in original words or creates an original educational visual that does not reproduce protected expression.

Original summaries and educational material

CPDmatch may produce concise summaries, key learning points, questions, reflections, presentation slides, pathway commentary and other educational resources based on publications.

These outputs are written to communicate the evidence and its educational significance in new language and structure:

Summaries are based on the identified source material and should not introduce unsupported findings.
The original publication remains the authoritative source and users are encouraged to consult it directly.
Distinctive wording is not copied merely for convenience.
Direct quotations, when used, are clearly identified and kept limited.
A summary should not be so extensive or detailed that it acts as a replacement for obtaining or reading the original work.

AI-assisted content

CPDmatch may use artificial intelligence tools to assist with summarisation, drafting, restructuring, accessibility or conversion of source material into educational formats.

AI assistance does not change the copyright status of the underlying publication and is not treated as a licence to reproduce protected material.

Before publication, AI-assisted outputs should be reviewed by a human for:

Fidelity to the source.
Misleading or unsupported statements.
Excessive textual similarity.
Appropriate attribution.
Suitability for the intended educational purpose.

Where an audio discussion or presentation is generated from a publication, the intended output is an original educational interpretation or summary rather than a reading or near-verbatim reproduction of the article.

Audio, presentations and other formats

Changing the format of a protected work does not, by itself, remove copyright restrictions.

CPDmatch therefore does not treat conversion of an article into audio, slides or another format as automatically permissible.

Such outputs should consist of original explanatory content unless the relevant licence or permission allows reproduction.

Where a source is discussed, the publication is identified so that learners can locate the original work and distinguish the authors' work from CPDmatch's educational interpretation.

Fair dealing and copyright exceptions

UK copyright law contains exceptions that may permit limited use without permission in particular circumstances, including fair dealing for quotation, criticism or review.

These exceptions are context specific. CPDmatch does not rely on a blanket "educational use" assumption.

When considering an exception, relevant questions include:

Whether the work has been made available to the public where required.
Whether the purpose genuinely falls within the exception.
Whether the extent taken is no more than required.
Whether sufficient acknowledgement is provided.
Whether the use is fair, including whether it could substitute for or harm the market for the original.

Because CPDmatch and The Climate Path operate within a subscription-supported environment, particular care is taken before relying on exceptions that require a non-commercial purpose.

Open-access and Creative Commons material

Open access does not always mean unrestricted reuse.

CPDmatch checks the specific licence attached to a work. Where a Creative Commons or equivalent licence applies, use should comply with its conditions, which may include attribution, restrictions on commercial use, restrictions on adaptations, or share-alike requirements.

Licence information and attribution requirements should be retained in the copyright assessment register where material is reused under licence.

Non-commercial licences

CPDmatch does not assume that its not-for-profit status automatically means that use within The Climate Path qualifies as non-commercial.

Because The Climate Path is a subscription-supported service, material carrying a non-commercial restriction is treated conservatively.

Unless the proposed use is clearly permitted, CPDmatch will normally link to the authorised source and create original educational content rather than reproduce or redistribute the licensed work.

Where broader reuse is desirable, permission or appropriate advice should be obtained.

What a Climate Path subscription pays for

A subscription to The Climate Path is for access to the platform and the educational service created by CPDmatch.

It is not a charge for ownership of, or unauthorised access to, third-party publications.

The subscription supports expert curation, structured learning pathways, original educational interpretation, learning activities, progress tracking, certification and organisational functionality.

Where third-party publications are publicly or legitimately available, CPDmatch signposts learners to the authorised source.

Where access is restricted, the learner remains responsible for obtaining lawful access through the publisher, an institution, a library or another authorised route.

Copyright assessment register

CPDmatch maintains a copyright assessment register for third-party publications used within The Climate Path.

The purpose of the register is to provide a documented record of the basis on which individual resources are used.

Where appropriate, the register records:

The publication or resource.
Copyright or licence status.
Evidence used to establish that status.
Whether linking is permitted.
Whether CPDmatch may host the publication.
Whether original written summaries, audio or presentation material may be created.
Restrictions affecting figures, tables or other content.
Attribution requirements.
Whether permission or further clarification is required.
CPDmatch's recommended approach to use.

The register should be reviewed when the licence, source, intended use or other relevant circumstances change.

Green, Amber and Red classification

CPDmatch may use a Green, Amber and Red classification within its copyright assessment register as an operational tool.

Green: Reuse is permitted subject to the conditions of the applicable licence. Those conditions, including attribution requirements, must still be followed.
Amber: The proposed use involves restrictions, uncertainty or conditions requiring additional care. Permission, clarification or appropriate advice may be required before reproduction.
Red: CPDmatch should not reproduce or host the protected material on the basis currently identified. The normal approach is to link to the authorised source and create original CPDmatch educational content instead.

These classifications are internal risk-management tools and are not legal determinations.

A Red classification does not normally mean that a publication cannot be included within The Climate Path. It means that CPDmatch should avoid reproducing the protected work and instead use approaches such as citation, linking and original educational interpretation.

Quality assurance workflow

For third-party publications used substantially within The Climate Path, CPDmatch's workflow is:

Identify the source and record sufficient bibliographic information.
Check the source location, copyright statement and applicable licence or permissions.
Record the assessment in the copyright register where appropriate.
Decide whether to link only, summarise, quote to a limited extent, reproduce under licence or permission, or exclude the material.
Create CPDmatch educational content in original language and structure.
Check citations, links and attribution.
Review AI-assisted output against the source for accuracy and excessive similarity.
Check that CPDmatch material does not function as a substitute reproduction of the original.
Publish with a route for rights holders to raise concerns.
Reassess or remove content promptly if a credible copyright concern is identified.

Rights-holder concerns and corrections

CPDmatch welcomes contact from authors, publishers and other rights holders who believe that material has been used incorrectly or that attribution, licensing information or a link requires correction.

A concern will be reviewed promptly and content may be amended or temporarily removed while the position is assessed.

Please contact [email protected].

Governance and review

This policy should be reviewed periodically and whenever there is a material change to CPDmatch's content workflow, subscription model, use of artificial intelligence, or relevant copyright guidance.

Content-specific permissions, licence information and copyright assessments should be retained where appropriate.

Responsibility for implementation rests with SDG4 Ltd / CPDmatch. Staff or contributors creating educational material for The Climate Path should follow this policy.

Legal context and disclaimer

This policy is designed to support responsible practice under UK copyright law, including the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and current UK Intellectual Property Office guidance.

UK guidance explains that use of protected material generally requires permission, a licence, ownership of the rights, or a relevant copyright exception. Fair dealing is assessed according to the circumstances, including the amount taken and the potential effect on the market for the original.

This document describes CPDmatch's approach to copyright governance and is not legal advice.

Where a proposed use is uncertain, commercially significant or potentially contentious, CPDmatch should obtain specific legal advice before publication.

Reference sources

UK Intellectual Property Office / GOV.UK – Exceptions to copyright
GOV.UK – Using somebody else's intellectual property: Copyright
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 30 – Criticism, review, quotation and news reporting