Copyright overview
Copyright
Copyright is a legal right for copyright owners to control how their works are reproduced and made public for a limited period of time. It also provides limitations and exceptions that allow these works to be used by others in certain circumstances.
In Australia under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), copyright protection is free and applies automatically from the time a work is first created.
The standard copyright notice can be used to identify the copyright owner of a work, but is not a requirement. For example:
© [or Copyright] [Author / Publisher] [Date]
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The Copyright Act provides a balance between the rights of copyright owners and the needs of the users of copyright material, including researchers, students, and teachers. Copyright material can be copied and used for certain purposes without the need to obtain permission from the copyright owner. Examples include: In Australia, the Copyright Act 1968 gives exclusive rights to copyright owners. These include the right to: Infringement of copyright occurs if a work is used in any of these ways without the permission of the copyright owner, unless a copyright law exception such as fair dealing applies, or the use is licenced.