Using the Tate website
Please note that the intellectual property rights in all content comprising or contained within this website address (URL) is owned by Tate, and other copyright owners as specified.
The contents of this website are published for your enjoyment. You may freely access and store the majority of the website’s contents on a temporary basis for the purposes of personal or private viewing, interaction or listening.
Reproducing content from the Tate website
Website content that is Tate copyright may be reproduced for the non-commercial purposes of research, private study, criticism and review, or for limited circulation within an educational establishment (such as a school, college or university).
The following uses of Tate copyright content are also permitted, except where other terms apply:
- Reproducing Tate copyright content, and Tate owned copyright expired artworks, for non-commercial research, private study, criticism and review, or for the purposes of teaching and instruction within an educational establishment. Where any artworks are published, the source of the content must be identified and the copyright status of the content acknowledged, e.g. ‘Title, Artist, Date of Work, Photo: © Tate, London [current year]’
- Limited quotation of Tate copyright texts or transcripts, for non-commercial research, private study, criticism and review, or use within an educational establishment, with due acknowledgement and citation. Where any text content is published, the author and/or source of the content must be identified and the copyright status of the content acknowledged, e.g. ‘© Tate, London [current year]’
- Reproducing Tate copyright content for the purposes of an educational examination, by a recognised UK exam authority
- Downloading Tate copyright audio and video content for non-commercial offline listening or viewing
- Downloading and printing of Tate copyright learning content, and whiteboard resources, for non-commercial educational use
- Embedding links to Tate audio and video content, where embedding is offered
- Reusing content published under a Creative Commons licence under the terms of the licence specified (For example, the Digital metrics dashboard template)
- Embedding or loading Tate news feeds (RSS)
However, the following acts are not permitted in respect of any of the content featured on Tate’s website:
- Reproduction of website content for commercial purposes, or any rental, leasing or lending of content obtained or derived from the website
- Any use of the Tate logo, brand identities or Tate trademarks without prior consent from Tate
- Any considerable public dissemination, display or hosting of website content via any third-party platforms, including without limitation, the substantial or repeated extraction and/or storage of Tate website content in any retrieval system, or inclusion in any other computer program or work
- Reproduction of Tate website content on any social media platforms, except where other terms allow
- Inaccurate or distorted reproductions, colour treatments, alterations or adaptations of website content, except where other terms allow
- Publication of any unauthorised translations or transcriptions of website content, except where other terms allow
- False attribution of authorial or copyright credits, and the removal of any Tate metadata from digital file formats
- Unauthorised text/data mining of website content and metadata
Non-commercial use
Tate would usually regard the following uses of Tate imagery as non-commercial activity:
- Use in free educational lectures and classes;
- Use on an individual or group’s website discussing the artwork in question;
- Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and obviously non-commercial in nature, for example the William Blake Archive and Wikipedia;
- Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individual is not promoting themselves commercially.
Statutory exceptions to copyright also apply in certain situations. It is the user’s responsibility to satisfy themselves that an exception (such as fair dealing criticism and review, quotation, or reporting a current event) applies.
Commercial use
Creative Commons defines commercial use as “reproducing a work in any manner that is primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary compensation”.
Tate further defines commercial use as ‘use on or in anything that itself is charged for, on or in anything connected with something that is charged for, or on or in anything intended to make a profit or to cover costs.’
As well as obviously commercial activities such as merchandise production, use of Tate images editorially in films and on TV, in publications that are sold, in advertisements and commercial promotions, Tate would usually regard the following uses of Tate imagery as commercial activity:
- Use online or in print by commercial organisations, including (for the avoidance of doubt) trading arms of charities;
- Use on an individual’s website in such a way that adds value to their business, or for promotional purposes, or where offering a service to third parties;
- Use of images by university presses in publications online or in print;
- Use in publicity and promotional material connected with commercial events;
- Unsolicited use of images by news media, including front covers and centre-page spreads;
- Use in compilations of past examination papers;
- Use by commercial galleries and auction houses.
Under charity law, conflicts can arise when one charity is seen as assisting another. Therefore Tate needs to treat other charities (and their trading arms) as if they were ‘commercial’ organisations.
Sourcing images from the Tate website
Tate is committed to providing online access to as many of the works in its collection and Archive as possible, via the Tate website.
Tate actively develops agreements with copyright holders and other licensing agents for the artists they represent. Whilst these agreements enable Tate to illustrate artworks, the permissions do not extend to any other party, unless specified.
However, many artworks are readily available as reproductions:
- To view free online at Art & artists
- To purchase as postcards and posters at Tate shop
- To order as framed prints
- To license, purchase and download high-resolution digital files for commercial use at Tate Images
- Commercial enquiries about other Tate content (e.g. text, video or design work) should be emailed to content.licenses@tate.org.uk
Please note that the further reproduction of artworks, or any other images or content, made available by Tate may constitute an infringement of copyright. It is therefore your responsibility to investigate and obtain permission from copyright holders or their agents before publishing such content.
Visitor photography
- Photography in the main galleries is allowed for personal, non-commercial purposes only. It is the visitor’s responsibility to ensure no copyright is infringed. The use of flash and tripods is prohibited.
- Photography in the paying exhibitions is not permitted at any time.
Brief guide to copyright
Download our brief guide to copyright, which provides an introduction as well as suggestions for useful resources to explore the subject further.
- Brief guide to copyright [PDF, 8.2. Kb]
Legal notice
Tate is committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of others. We have therefore taken reasonable efforts to ensure that the reproduction of all content on the pages of the Tate website and other digital publications (including, but not restricted to, images, text and video) is done with the full consent of copyright owners. Depending on local laws, you may be unable legally to download or copy certain works in your country. It is your responsibility to ensure that your local law permits you to do this.
If you are a rights holder and are concerned that you have found material on this website for which you have not granted permission (or is not covered by a copyright exception under the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) please contact Tate in writing stating the following:
- Your contact details
- The full details of the material’s creator
- The exact and full web address (URL) where you found the material
- Proof that you are the rights holder and a statement that, under penalty of perjury, you are the rights holder or are an authorised representative.
The Copyright Office
Tate
Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
Email: copyright@tate.org.uk