The terms and conditions of use for e-resources are laid down in the licensing agreements concluded between the Freie Universität Berlin and the providers / licensors of electronic products.

By using the e-resources, users agree to abide by these terms and conditions of use.

Non-compliance may be sanctioned by library accounts being blocked and users being banned from the premises of all FU libraries.

Here we provide a summary of the terms and conditions of use for e-resources that apply to the majority of licensed databases, full texts, and electronic journals. In particular cases the terms may be more or less restrictive.

Databases, full texts, and e-journals to which there is unrestricted access, such as open access items, are still subject to copyright regulation and subject to the terms of use determined by the provider. Please pay attention to the specific terms of use given by the provider of each database or e-resource.

Authorized Users

• Members of Freie Universität Berlin. FU Members are: enrolled students and all persons employed by, or contractually bound to, the Freie Universität, for example, professors, research assistants, non-academic university personnel.
• External users of the FU Library System. These are persons who have valid library cards or who visit the FU libraries and use the computers provided on site to access the e-resources.
• Accredited, affiliated, and visiting scholars at Freie Universität Berlin.

Remote access

Remote access to the licensed e-resources may only be undertaken in a secure network and only by FU members. “Remote access” is defined here as access to the e-resources from outside the premises of the FU Berlin (login through VPN or FU Proxy) or access through eduroam with mobile devices used within the FU zone.

Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property rights, particularly rights of use and exploitation under copyright law, are the sole and exclusive property of the providers / licensors of the e-resources. Authorized users at Freie Universität Berlin are permitted to access the e-resources provided in order to undertake research activities and to view, retrieve, display and electronically save portions of the licensed works. However, systematic downloading of e-resources – entire volumes of journals, for example – is not permitted. Using special software, web robots etc., for downloading is strictly prohibited.

Authorized users are permitted to electronically save and to print out single copies of portions of the licensed materials for their personal use only. It is not permitted to distribute or display, either in whole or in part, any portion of the e-resources, in any way whatsoever, on any electronic network, including the Internet and the World Wide Web, as paper copies, or on any electronic storage medium. Authorized users may not permit third parties to access or use the licensed e-resources and may not use them for commercial information services. Furthermore, it is not permitted to translate, edit, reorganize, or restructure the e-resources in any way whatsoever, nor is it allowed to use the content in public presentation, display, or performance.