Copyright for UNSW Research Students: Introduction

This guide provides copyright information and links, which are relevant to the University community, but not the legal opinion of the Academy Library, UNSW Canberra.

Copyright protects the form in which ideas, information or facts are delivered.  Granting exclusive rights to authors and creators of works, the copyright owners, enables them to determine how their work can be used so their moral and economic interests are protected. 

This means that copyright may restrict:

• reproduction
• publication
• performance
• communication to the public
• adaptation of the work

You must obtain permission from the copyright owner to use material in the above ways. Generally, copyright lasts 70 years after the death of the creator of a work. However, Australian copyright duration varies for different categories of material and there can be a different term of duration if you are producing work within a different country of the world (so check their Copyright Act or equivalent).

There are exceptions to the restrictions above where the Copyright Act's 'Fair dealing' allows the use of text material without permission for the following purposes:

1. research or study - 10% or one chapter/article
2. criticism or review - must acknowledge the work
3. parody or satire
4. reporting news
5. professional advice e.g. by a lawyer

(Australian Copyright Council Fair Dealing 2014)

The UNSW Library website provides information on Copyright towards research or study.