Guidance on TDM and the Law
On this page we list some useful sources of further information about how text and data mining (TDM) operates within the statutory framework on copyright and related rights.
Information on copyright and TDM
In 2014 the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) was amended to include the section 29A exception, which allows computational text and data analysis (or TDM as we refer to it here) for non-commercial research purposes. On this page we have compiled links to some resources that explain in more detail how this exception operates, and how researchers can rely on it when engaged in TDM projects.
University of Sheffield TDM guidance
Read the University Library copyright advice service’s introduction to TDM, copyright, and related rights, including TDM and the database right, and considerations when carrying out TDM on public domain resources.
The University of Sheffield Good Research and Innovation Practice (GRIP) policy provides further guidance on the principles and good practices governing all the University's research and innovation activities. GRIP Designing research and innovation projects and GRIP Managing research data and code, and FAIR principles sections of the policy provide further detail to ensure that your research complies with all legal, ethical and contractual requirements, including in regard to text and data mining.
Inputting a third party’s data into AI and GenAI platforms, without prior permission from the supplier, may contravene the terms of use. See Principles for Using GenAI in Research and Innovation.
CopyrightUser guide to data scraping and data mining
CopyrightUser is “an independent online resource aimed at making UK Copyright Law accessible to creators, media professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and members of the public”.
In addition to their guidance page on TDM, they provide an in-depth guide to issues around TDM and data scraping, including scraping of personal data, copyright resources, and sui generis database right protected resources.
UK Government Guidance
In October 2014, following the update to the CDPA, the government published a guide to the copyright exceptions related to research, including section 29A.
You can read the government’s guide here.
FutureTDM
The FutureTDM Project aims to increase TDM activity in the European Union. Where researchers are undertaking TDM activity in an EU member state, they can consult FutureTDM’s legal guidelines for practitioners.