National Copyright

1.1 What is it? Some basic principles

In Australia, copyright law is contained in the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968 (Copyright Act).

Copyright is a separate right to the property right in an object. For example, this means that the person who may own a book or painting will not also own the copyright in the book or painting unless it has been specifically assigned to them.

A simple definition of 'copyright' is that it is a bundle of exclusive rights in certain creative works such as text, artistic works, music, computer programs, sound recordings and films. The rights are granted to the copyright owner to reproduce the material and, for some material, the right to perform or show the work to the public. Copyright owners can prevent others from reproducing or communicating their work without the owner's permission.

• 1. Copyright

• 1.1 What is it?
• 1.2 Some common misconceptions
• 1.3 What is protected?
• 1.4 What does it not protect?
• 1.5 Requirements for copyright protection
• 1.6 Who owns copyright?
• 1.7 Some exceptions to the general rule of copyright ownership
• 1.8 How long does it last?
• 1.9 How do I work out if something is still in copyright?
• 1.10 What rights are granted to the copyright owner?
• 1.11 Dealing with copyright
• 1.12 Collecting Societies
• 1.13 How is copyright infringed?
• 1.14 Defences and exceptions to infringement
• 1.15 Statutory Licence Schemes
• 1.16 Liability of schools and individuals for copyright infringement and remedies
• 1.17 Moral Rights
• 1.18 Performer's Rights
• 1.19 Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights (ICIPR)

• 2. What can i copy / communicate?
• 3. Copying for Special Purposes
• 4. Copyright issues of interest to Schools
• 5. How to clear rights
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Appendices