Tabor College respects the rights of copyright owners, and all Tabor staff and students should comply with the copyright law. The copyright law is complex, and only a few basic aspects of the law are referred to on this page. Further details about the copyright law are contained in the Copyright Act 1968 .
Copyright provides the creator of a work with a range of rights for a period of time. It creates incentives for the creations of new works and serves as a legal framework for the control of the creations. In Australia, the copyright law is set out in the Copyright Act 1968 .
All Tabor staff are responsible for complying with the copyright law when using copyright material in the course of teaching.
To determine ownership of a work can be complex. Generally, under the Copyright Act 1968, the first owner is the creator of the work, or the person making the sound recording, film, broadcast or published edition. However, there are exceptions to this rule:
The rules about copyright ownership in the Copyright Act 1968 can be altered by agreement.
In Australia, copyright in published works generally lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years after their death. The duration is variable depending on the type of material, the publication status and the copyright owner. The copyright is unrenewable and will be in public domain once it expires.
When people use copyright material in a way which is an exclusive right to copyright owner without permission, or in a way which does not comply with specific conditions allowing the use of copyright material for educational purposes.
Copyright protects all original works recorded, no matter they are in physical or electronic forms. It does not protect ideas, concepts, styles, techniques or information.
Copyright protection commences automatically from the time when a work is written down or recorded in some way. There is no system of copyright registration in Australia or any forms to fill in or fees to be paid.
The following categories of works are under copyright protection as divided by the Copyright Act 1968:
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Textual material |
“literary works”, such as journal articles, novels, screenplays, poems, song lyrics and reports. |
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Computer programs |
a sub-category of “literary works”. |
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Compilations |
another sub-category of “literary works”, such as anthologies – the selection and arrangement of material may be protected separately from the individual items contained in the compilation. |
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Artistic works |
such as paintings, drawings, cartoons, sculpture, craft work, architectural plans, buildings, photographs, maps and plans. |
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Dramatic works |
including choreography, screenplays, plays and mime pieces. |
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Musical works |
the music itself, separately from any lyrics or recording. |
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Cinematograph films |
the visual images and sounds in a film, video or DVD are protected separately from any copyright in works recorded on the film or video, such as scripts and music. |
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Sound recordings |
the particular recording itself is protected by copyright, in addition to, for example, the music or story that is recorded. |
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Broadcasts |
TV and radio broadcasters have a copyright in their broadcasts, which is separate from the copyright in the films, music and other material which they broadcast. |
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Published editions |
publishers have copyright in their typographical arrangements, which is separate from the copyright in works reproduced in the edition (such as poems or illustrations or music). |
- Owners of copyright in literary, dramatic, artistic and musical works have exclusive rights to:
- Owners of copyright in films, sound recordings, broadcasts and published editions have the exclusive rights to copy their material. They additionally have rights to: