Caching websites

Schools may wish to copy or “cache” selected Internet sites to their internal intranet to reduce the opportunities for students to browse inappropriate content on the Internet, and to manage bandwidth and access times.

Although this type of caching may seem innocent, it is unlikely to be covered by an implied licence. Accordingly, if done without the permission of the relevant copyright owners, there is a risk that the school will be liable for copyright infringement.

The statutory licence for educational institutions allows some caching within the permissible limits. However, the statutory licence does not apply to software.

Caching (including storing) a web site involves both reproducing and communicating material on it. Web site owners are often quite happy to give permission for caching a whole site.