Battery University publishes educational information about batteries, charging, testing, safety, and energy storage. This policy explains the general conditions for using that material in quotations, teaching, translations, copied documents, and website links.
The information is intended to support learning and practical understanding. Copyright and other rights still apply, however, even when material is freely available online. Users should distinguish between referring readers to an article, quoting a limited excerpt, reproducing a substantial part of an article, and creating a commercial product from Battery University content.
Where a proposed use falls outside the educational or quotation conditions described below, obtain written permission from the publisher before reproducing the material. If the applicable permission terms, copyright holder, or contact details are unclear, the safest approach is to request clarification rather than assume that online availability permits reuse.
Permission to Publish Battery University Material
Battery University material is provided primarily for educational and informational use. A person or organization that wants to publish an excerpt should identify the source prominently and explain the intended application of the material. Attribution should make clear that the text, figures, or other content originated with Battery University rather than presenting it as independently authored work.
A responsible excerpt should retain the meaning and technical context of the original. Removing qualifications, changing numerical values, or combining passages in a way that produces a different conclusion can misrepresent the source, even when the copied portion is short. The source article and, where practical, its URL should be identified so that readers can consult the complete material.
Permission should be requested when the proposed use is substantial, repeated, altered in a material way, distributed broadly, or connected with a product or service. This includes uses in books, manuals, paid reports, software documentation, training products, websites, and other publications where Battery University content forms part of the value being supplied.
Battery University content should not be republished as a profit-making product without authorization. A commercial publisher should not treat the articles as a free source of ready-made chapters, courseware, manuals, or database entries. Contact the publisher before proceeding when a proposed use has a commercial purpose or when the amount of material exceeds a limited quotation.
The available policy material does not establish a universal word limit or a single permission route for every use. Permission terms, the current copyright holder, applicable copyright dates, and the correct contact method should therefore be confirmed directly with the publisher before publication. Written approval should be retained with the project records.
Using Battery University Content as Teaching Material
Schools, universities, and comparable teaching organizations may use a limited amount of Battery University material for instruction, subject to the applicable permission conditions. The use should be connected with classroom teaching or a comparable instructional activity rather than serving as a replacement for the original publication or as a general-purpose content library.
Permitted instructional use is narrower than unrestricted republication. For example, an instructor may need to provide a short extract, diagram, or translated passage to students to explain a battery-related topic. The material should remain relevant to the subject being taught, and students should be told clearly where it came from. Attribution should accompany the excerpt rather than being hidden in an unrelated end note.
Adaptation or translation may be appropriate when it supports instruction, but the substance of the source should be preserved. A translated or edited passage should not introduce technical claims that are absent from the original, remove important limitations, or imply that Battery University endorses a new interpretation. If an adaptation changes the technical meaning, it should be identified as an adaptation rather than presented as a verbatim source.
The term “limited amount” should not be treated as permission to reproduce complete articles, large collections of articles, or an entire course reader. The allowable quantity depends on the nature and purpose of the use, and the current policy should be checked when the amount is significant. Permission is also advisable when material will remain publicly accessible, be distributed outside the enrolled class, or be incorporated into a paid course or institutional publication.
Online courses and learning-management systems require particular care. Uploading a document to a restricted class area may differ from posting the same document on an open website, but online delivery does not automatically remove copyright restrictions. Before placing Battery University content in a course platform, public resource collection, or distance-learning package, confirm that the intended audience, access controls, quantity, and duration of access are covered by the current permission terms.
Educational use should also be technically careful. Battery behavior depends on chemistry, cell design, operating conditions, age, test method, and application. Instructors should preserve relevant warnings and qualifications when presenting an excerpt, and should direct students to the complete article where additional context is needed.
How Battery University Information Is Compiled
Battery University content is presented as practical battery information rather than as a substitute for primary scientific or engineering research. The material may draw on manufacturer specifications, laboratory testing, and contributions from users or the battery community. These sources can help explain how batteries behave in common applications, but they do not all have the same purpose, controls, or level of documentation.
Manufacturer data is useful for stated ratings, operating guidance, product characteristics, and application limits. It may also reflect conditions selected by the manufacturer. Laboratory testing can provide measurements under defined conditions, but results depend on equipment, sample selection, test protocol, environmental conditions, and the interpretation of the data. User and community observations may illustrate field experience while having less formal control over those variables.
Battery University articles commonly summarize typical or representative behavior so that general readers can understand practical design and operating issues. Real-world results can vary substantially. Cell-to-cell variation, temperature, load profile, state of charge, charging method, storage history, battery-management controls, and measurement technique can all affect an observed result. An average or representative result should not be treated as a guaranteed value for every product or installation.
This distinction matters when using the information in engineering decisions. A Battery University explanation can help identify relevant variables, compare concepts, or develop questions for a supplier or test laboratory. It should not automatically replace a current manufacturer datasheet, applicable standard, laboratory report, qualification procedure, or peer-reviewed technical publication.
Users should verify critical information against primary sources, especially for safety-related decisions, regulated equipment, transport, medical devices, high-voltage systems, and large energy-storage installations. The relevant chemistry and technology should also be checked. Guidance written for one battery generation or chemistry may not fully describe newer cells, updated electrolytes, revised electrodes, or modern battery-management systems.
Where an article is used in teaching or technical documentation, preserve its practical and general-user character. Do not imply that a general explanation is a certified design limit, a test report, or a universal performance guarantee. If a project requires traceable evidence, record the original manufacturer data, test conditions, date, equipment, and applicable technical requirements separately.
Copyright and Reserved Rights
The publisher reserves rights in the Battery University publication and its contents. Those rights can cover the text, illustrations, tables, diagrams, formatting, compilations, and other original elements. Making an article available for reading does not by itself transfer permission to reproduce or redistribute it.
Controlled uses may include reproducing substantial portions, distributing copies, transcribing material into another document or database, storing copies for redistribution, preparing translations, and creating adaptations or derivative publications. Written permission should be obtained for uses outside the applicable educational or limited-quotation conditions.
Permission is particularly important when content will be sold, bundled with a paid service, used to promote a product, included in a commercial training package, or distributed as part of a publication. The same consideration applies when multiple short excerpts are assembled into a collection: the overall use may be substantial even if each individual excerpt is brief.
Copyright law can contain statutory exceptions and limitations, including rules that may apply differently to quotation, education, libraries, criticism, commentary, or other purposes. Whether an exception applies depends on the facts, the jurisdiction, the amount used, and the effect of the use on the original work. A general educational purpose is not a universal exemption, and this policy is not legal advice.
Because policy pages and contact arrangements can change, users should confirm the operative copyright notice, current legal entity, copyright dates, jurisdiction, and permission contact before relying on older copies of this policy. Do not reproduce obsolete personal addresses, telephone numbers, or email details from an archived version without independent confirmation.
A permission request should describe the material, the amount to be used, the proposed changes or translation, the audience, the distribution method, whether access will be paid or public, and the expected duration of use. Keeping the written response with the project documentation helps establish the scope of any authorization.
Linking to Battery University Content
Linking to a relevant Battery University article is different from copying the article. A normal editorial link directs readers to the publisher’s page so they can read the material in its original context. It does not normally grant permission to reproduce the underlying text, images, tables, or diagrams on the linking website.
Readers may independently link to relevant Battery University content where their site, publication, or service permits such links. The link should be accurate, functional, and presented in a way that does not falsely suggest ownership, sponsorship, endorsement, or formal partnership. A descriptive reference to the article is preferable to copying the article itself into the surrounding page.
The publisher generally declines requests to add links to commercial websites. A request to place a link on Battery University is therefore separate from a reader’s decision to create an independent link from another site. The availability of an inbound link does not create a right to use Battery University content, and a request for a link should not be treated as a request for republication permission.
Commercial websites should confirm the current linking practice before describing a link as a partnership, sponsorship, affiliate arrangement, or endorsement. Any exception or special arrangement would need to be confirmed by the publisher in writing. Do not infer an exception from a link that happens to appear on a page or from a historical relationship.
Use the publisher’s current preferred article URL where possible. If an article has moved, use the current canonical page rather than maintaining a copied mirror. When a link is no longer available, update or remove it instead of reproducing the missing content without permission.
References
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- Boston University. (n.d.). https://studid.io/institutions/boston-university.aHR0cHM6Ly9zaGliLmJ1LmVkdS9pZHAvc2hpYmJvbGV0aA
- Copyright and Fair Use | Office of the General Counsel. (n.d.). https://ogc.harvard.edu/pages/copyright-and-fair-use
- Search Results | Cornell University. (n.d.). https://courses.cornell.edu/search?P=YORUB+1108
- Copyright Permissions & Best Practices - Textbooks @ WCL - LibGuides at American University Washington College of Law. (n.d.). https://wcl.american.libguides.com/textbooks/faculty/copyright
- Find Course Materials | Boston University Campus Store. (n.d.). https://bu.bncollege.com/course-material/course-finder
- Copyright & Online Classes - Copyright - LibGuides at Brother Edmond Drouin Library. (n.d.). https://libguides.walsh.edu/copyright/online
- Find Study Notes from Boston University. (n.d.). https://edubirdie.com/docs/boston-university