Lecture slides, scripts and exercise sheets are part of everyday student life. Whether you may pass them on to fellow students, upload them to a study group cloud or share them on a platform depends above all on who uses them, for what purpose and to what extent. This guide explains what Section 60a of the German Copyright Act (UrhG) permits for teaching, where the limits lie and which university rules apply in addition.
Short answer: Under Section 60a(1) UrhG, works may be used to illustrate teaching and instruction at educational institutions, on a non-commercial basis and to a maximum of 15 percent of a published work. According to the wording, the beneficiaries are primarily teachers and participants in the relevant course. A public upload open to everyone is not readily covered. Last updated: November 2026.
The most important points at a glance
- Section 60a UrhG is the central provision for teaching and instruction at educational institutions in Germany.
- The use does not have to be commercial, so a script sold for money does not fall under it.
- The scope is limited to up to 15 percent of a published work.
- According to the wording, the use is addressed to teachers and participants of the course, to teachers and examiners at the same institution and to third parties where it serves the presentation.
- University guidelines and the instructions of your lecturer can restrict further what you may share.
What Section 60a UrhG actually permits
Under Section 60a(1) UrhG, use to illustrate teaching and instruction at educational institutions is permitted. The use must not be commercial, and the scope is limited to up to 15 percent of a published work. The law names three groups: teachers and participants of the respective course, teachers and examiners at the same educational institution, and third parties, insofar as the use serves the presentation of teaching or learning results.
What matters, then, is not only what you share but also with whom. A file for your seminar group is closer to the provision than a document that anyone on the internet can retrieve. The line in individual cases is ultimately drawn by the courts, so a cautious reading is sensible.
Typical situations in everyday study
The table below classifies common situations. It is a guide for everyday use and does not replace a check of the individual case or of your university’s rules.
| Situation | Classification under Section 60a UrhG | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Passing on seminar slides to participants of the same course | Possible within the provision, since course participants are named | Share only with the course, not with outsiders |
| Excerpt of up to 15 percent of a published book for an exercise | Possible within the scope of the provision | Measure the scope carefully and still name the source |
| Complete textbook chapter in a freely accessible forum | Not readily covered according to the wording | Share the literature reference or a link instead |
| Selling a summary of a script for money | Not covered, because the use must be non-commercial | Write your own summary without taking over foreign text |
Commercial offers are particularly risky. Anyone who sells documents or offers them by subscription leaves the area of teaching. The provision protects instruction, not the trade in study material.
Does this also apply to scripts written by lecturers?
Scripts by lecturers are also protected by copyright, provided they are a personal intellectual creation. The provision on teaching also applies to passing material on within the course, as far as the purpose fits. Anyone who wants to make material publicly available usually needs the lecturers’ consent, and the university may set its own rules for its learning platform.
Conversely, when your lecturer explicitly provides a document on the learning platform, passing it on within the course is generally unproblematic. The question only shifts once third parties outside the course gain access.
University rules and learning platforms
Many universities regulate the use of learning material in their own guidelines and on their learning platforms. These rules can be stricter than the statute. Study group clouds, messenger groups with many members or public sharing sites for exam documents often fall into a grey area that you should clarify with the university in advance.
The university’s role does not end with teaching. Final theses and publications follow their own rules, which are explained in the guide on rights in final theses (in German). For illustrations from specialist books in a presentation, the guide on illustrations in presentations (in German) helps.
Frequently asked questions
May I copy a whole book for my presentation?
According to the wording of the provision, the scope is limited to up to 15 percent of a published work. A complete book goes beyond that. For presentations it makes sense to use only the passages you actually need and to put them into context in your own words.
May I upload scripts to a cloud that my team can access?
That depends on who has access and whether the university allows it. Access only for the participants of a course is closer to the wording than release to uninvolved people. Check the rules of your university and the data protection rules of the cloud service in advance.
Must I name the source even when it is for teaching?
Regardless of any legal obligation, naming sources is good academic practice. It protects you, shows where ideas come from and makes your material comprehensible for others.
May I pass on model solutions or tasks from old exams?
Here the origin matters. Your own solutions are a different question from tasks written by lecturers. For earlier exams, your university’s rules apply, and if in doubt you should ask the lecturers before publishing anything.
What about AI images in presentations?
AI-generated images raise their own legal questions that are not answered by Section 60a UrhG. You will find more in the guide on AI images and copyright (in German).
May I pass material on to friends at other universities?
According to the wording, people who do not belong to the respective course are not readily part of the group of beneficiaries. A friend studying at another university therefore does not automatically fall under the provision. If you want to help, it is safer to point to the literature reference or to publicly available sources rather than passing the document on yourself.
How do I know whether a document on the learning platform is set up correctly?
A document on a learning platform is usually visible only to the enrolled course. Check whether the view is really limited to participants, for example by signing in with an account that has no link to the course, or by asking the lecturers. If access is open to everyone, remove the document and inform the lecturers.
What to do now
- Decide for whom you want to share a document: only the course participants or a wider public.
- Keep the scope of third-party works in view and use only the excerpts you need.
- If in doubt, ask the lecturers or the responsible office at your university.
- Read through your university’s guidelines on learning material and learning platforms once in full.
Related guides
- Digital rights in everyday life: the overview for students
- Using illustrations from specialist books in presentations (in German)
- Private copies: may you keep streaming recordings? (in German)
- AI images and copyright in study
Sources: Section 60a UrhG, teaching and instruction, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved November 2026.
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
