Copyright

From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit

Copyright is a legal protection of intellectual property. Australian law recognises the right of individuals to protect economic interests from their own literary, and artistic expression. Copyright also covers sound recordings, films and video recording. Literary works include books, newspaper articles, computer programs.

In Australia, copyright law is contained in the Copyright Act 1968 as periodically amended and in court decisions. The law gives owners of copyright exclusive rights to do certain things with their material.

Copying of entire literary works without copyright permission may infringe copyright and result in legal action and compensation claims. The Australian Copyright Council produces a series of Information Sheets on copyright. These Sheets can be found at http://www.copyright.org.au/information/introductory.htm

Who owns copyright?

Usually the creator (i.e. the author) is the person who first owns copyright in the work. They can assign their copyright, for example to a publisher or distributor. In some cases the employer is the owner of any copyright work created by employees in the course of their employment. Exceptions such as these may be excluded or varied by agreement or contract.

It is important to remember that there may be a distinction between the 'author' (who has created the work) and the 'copyright owner' (who has acquired ownership from the author).