Student Thesis Copyright Regulations
Unofficial translation
Article 1
These regulations cover copyright of theses and/or Master’s theses (hereafter referred to as "Thesis’') produced by students as part of their degree requirements students at KU Leuven (hereafter referred to as ‘the University’).
The term 'Thesis’ is not limited to the text, but also includes computer programmes and databases which form part of it.
These regulations do not apply to PhD theses.
Article 2
These regulations do not override general copyright principles as established in the relevant Belgian copyright legislation. The question whether a Thesis is copyrighted material, which is the case if it meets the originality requirement, and who owns the copyright should be addressed in accordance with this legislation. It follows that copyright is held by the person(s) responsible for the Thesis structure and manifestation (hereafter referred to as the 'Author') rather than by those who have contributed to the content. Copyright protection is not available for ideas, procedures, methods or mathematical concepts – even original ones – but only for their expression. The possible protection of innovative ideas through other (intellectual) rights is beyond the scope of these regulations.
Article 3
The Author retains full moral rights (the right of attribution, the right of disclosure and the right of integrity) and property rights to a Thesis, subject to the prerogatives and rights of use granted to the University under Articles 4 and 5 of these regulation. Consequently, the Author retains the exclusive right to decide on publication of a Thesis after submission.
If a publication refers to the University or one of its staff members or students in any way, the Author should observe the standards of his discipline.
Article 4
The University is entitled to the free use of a Thesis for teaching and research purposes, including verification by electronic or other means. This right includes the provision that a specified number of copies of the Thesis will be made available in the University libraries and that an electronic copy is supplied to the relevant department enabling the text to be made available online through an 'open archive' or similar system.
Article 5
At the request of the Author(s) or a body designated at the Group level, it may be decided to (i) deny (ii) restrict or (iii) defer access to a Thesis, for instance to safeguard the rights of third parties or the University.
If no agreement is reached between the parties, the committee referred to in Article 7 will decide on the matter.
Article 7
Disputes on the application of these regulations, including disputes on the ownership of Thesis copyright and on subsequent publication will be submitted to an ad hoc committee. This committee will be chaired by the Vice Chair of the Group concerned and will include a copyright expert and a member of the Ombuds Service. In cases of urgency, the dean will make a provisional decision which needs to be approved by the committee within one month.