Copyright Legislation
The Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth)
This legislation makes it illegal to photocopy or otherwise reproduce (eg. scan, facsimile, record or store) another person’s work without that person’s express written permission, except in the limited circumstances set out in the Act.
The Act applies to all written materials (books, magazines, reports), pictorial representations (photographs, drawings, graphs), electronic materials (websites, computer programs) and sound recordings (tapes, CDs).
The Act does allow copying of materials in certain situations, if the copying is for the purpose of research or study.
For research or study purposes, it is legal to copy:
- 10% of a written work, or one chapter if the work is divided into chapters;
- one whole article from a newspaper, magazine or journal, or more than one article if they are about the same subject matter.
For copying more than this amount, and copying other types of materials, the Act sets out guidelines for working out whether the copying is legal. You should consider whether your use of materials at work or for your training and assessment may breach copyright.
For detailed information and advice on copyright go to www.copyright.org.au or contact the Australian Copyright Council on (02) 8815 9777.
