What is copyright?

Copyright protects the original work of authors, artists, photographers, musicians and other creators by giving exclusive rights to the publishing, printing, performing or copying of their work.

In Australia copyright protection is free and registration is not required. It applies automatically when the material is created and lasts up to 70 years after the creator's death. After this time it is in the public domain which means copyright has expired.

In Australia, copyright is applied through the Copyright Act 1968. The purpose of the Act is to balance the copyright owners's rights to manage and protect their work with the rights of the public to use these works.