Copyright Act 1968

01 May 1969

Copyright protects original material from being used without the permission of creators. Under section 51 (xviii) of the Australian Constitution the Australian Parliament has the power to make laws regarding copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 was created to protect:

• literary works like novels, poems, diaries and newspaper articles
• artistic works like photographs, drawings, diagrams and designs
• films, including moving images, soundtracks and animated videos
• musical works
• concerts
• plays
• sound recordings.

The Copyright Act 1968 has been amended – changed – several times to keep it up to date with technologies which have emerged since the 1960s like photocopying, computer programs, and sound and film recordings which have been transferred to digital formats. Unlike in many countries, Australians do not need to register their works or pay a fee for them to be covered by the Act.

Before Federation, the Australian colonies were covered by British copyright law, although several colonies had their own copyright systems as well. The first national copyright law came into force in 1907 and was revised in 1912 to include sound recordings and motion pictures.