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Purpose of Copyright

These pages are intended to serve as a brief guide to the Copyright Act (1968) and the Copyright Amendment (Digital Agenda) Act 2000 as applied at CYOC.

What Is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection for author/creators of original works including literary, dramatic, music, artistic and other intellectual products, it allows the creators to benefit financially from their works and retain some control over how they are used. The symbol of the “c” in a circle is not essential on a resource, it is still covered by copyright, nor does the work need to be published to be covered. The owner of copyright retains his rights even when the work has been sold – these rights are not absolute – they are subject to copyright.

What Can I Legally Copy?

FOR STUDENTS :-
As a student, there are exceptions, for you within the Copyright Act, as long as the copies you make are for research and study purposes. It's considered to be a 'fair dealing' to copy a 'reasonable portion' for this purpose. In the case of books and other separately published works in print a “reasonable portion” can be defined as:

Up to 10% of a work of more than ten pages
One chapter where the work is divided into chapters
Whole or part of an article in a periodical publication (magazine, newspaper etc)
Whole or part of two or more articles a periodical publication (magazine, newspaper etc), if those articles relate to the same subject matter.

In the case of electronic works (web pages etc):

Up to 10% of the number of words
One article or more if the same subject matter
All, if not published, or published on its own
All, if not available in a reasonable period of time

FOR STAFF :-
You may for the purposes of “studying and teaching”:

Make multiple copies of a reasonable portion of copyright works for distribution to students (class handouts)
Copy up to 10% of a work per year (not per week, not per class...)
Collate sections from works and distribute (but not sell for profit) to students
Copy related articles from the same issue of a periodical (but not all the articles from a computer magazine because they're all about computers, for example)

In the case of audiovisual materials, you may make a copy, provided it is for the purposes of “research and study”. Recording television or radio programs and playing them in class, is permitted. For instance you may record a copy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the TV at home and play it in class, providing it is marked with the date, time, channel and that it is to be used for “educational purposes” is clearly marked on the label.

Can I Copy Anything If I Am Using It For My Studies?

Copying for educational purposes comes under the provision of a fair dealing (see definition).

Do I Own The Copyright Of Material Created In My Workplace?

Generally, the answer is no. If there is no agreement between you and your employer, then the employer generally owns the copyright to the work.

Who Owns Copyright?

The general rule is that the person who created the work, owns the copyright. In the case of a book it would be the author, for a film it would be the director and the producer. In the case of a sound recording the copyright owner would be the record producer, for a song it would be the song writer etc. As a student, if you create something as part of your course you, generally, own the copyright.

Can I Copy Anything From The Internet?

No. Material on the Net is covered under the Copyright Act much the same way as material published in other forms. Downloading from the Net is seen as making a copy, much like a photocopy. Most of the material online is accompanied by some sort of copyright notice. It is illegal to alter, remove or in anyway tamper with this notice. This copyright notice forms an agreement with you the user and the owner of the copyright. If you wish to alter material found online you need to seek permission from the copyright owner. You can however copy within the legal limits.

Can I Link My Website To Other Websites?

If the link is the name of the other site or it’s URL, you probably do not need copyright permission to include it on your site, provided it is clear to the visitor to your site that the link takes them to another site (rather than giving the impression that the linked material is part of your site). If you use something else for the link, for example their graphic, you may need permission.

Links To More Copyright Information

A short guide to copyright released by the Attorney-Generals dept.
www.ag.gov.au/publication/copyrightlawaust/contents.html

The Australian Copyright Council’s online information site, offers their information sheets on various copyright related topics.
www.copyright.com.org.au/index.htm

A copy of the full Copyright Act.
www.astlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/index.html

List of sites useful for Australian copyright and related issues.
www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lsrsc/learn/springboards/library/copyright.html

Some Copyright Resources Held In The College Library

Non-profit libraries & copyright : a practical guide
Commercial information services & copyright
Licensing content for multimedia : a discussion paper
Copyright in training materials : a practical guide
Indigenous arts and copyright : a practical guide
1998 copyright amendments : a discussion paper
International copyright protection : a discussion paper
Non-profit libraries : digital & AV resources
Copyright rights : a discussion paper
Websites & copyright : a practical guide.
Libraries & copyright : a practical guide
Teaching copyright in schools : a resource book
Educational institutions : text, images & music
Protecting indigenous intellectual property
Copyright & the Internet : a discussion paper

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