Copyright for Students and Researchers at UNE
Using the Copyright of Others
As outlined in the copyright Introduction, copyright law contains rights for copyright owners. It also supports a balance for users of copyright materials, by allowing a certain amount of use for certain purposes.
Your rights
Students and researchers at UNE have the right to use the copyright material of others in various ways:
- to research and investigate their subject area or discipline
- to include within assignments, theses and other course work as part of the study and assessment process.
This use is called Fair Dealing for research and study. The amount that can be copied for these purposes is set out in the section Fair Dealing.
It is important to note that copyright material used for the purposes of research and study may not necessarily be used in other situations. For example if you include artworks, musical examples or film segments for research and study purposes, you will generally need copyright owner's permission to use the same material in work you wish to publish or present publicly, such as at a conference, exhibition or on the internet. Material that is out of copyright or fits into one of the other categories of fair dealing may still be permitted.
Your responsibilities
Acknowledging the source of something copied is good academic practice; it is also the law and one of the Moral Rights.
Attributing the author or creator of any material you copy, unless it is reasonable not to do so, also helps you to avoid plagiarism. At UNE, the most commonly used style of referencing is the author-date system and this can be used to cite the source of material you use, unless your discipline or faculty specifies an alternative. The UNE Referencing Guide sets out the basic principles of referencing.
Material you use should be a legitimate copy. For example, if you are using music, the source should be a purchased CD, or as authorised from a valid internet site.
All students are expected to purchase the set text for each course in which they are enrolled. Whole textbooks should never be copied, though copying one chapter would be considered fair under Fair Dealing.
Infringement of copyright
When there is an infringement of copyright, a copyright owner is entitled to bring a civil action in court against the person or organisation who has infringed copyright. There are also circumstances where infringement of copyright is regarded as a criminal offence, and fines and jail terms may apply.
More information:
The Australian Copyright Council publishes useful information sheets on specific aspects of copyright.