Contact the Copyright and Open Content Librarian or your Library Faculty Team.
The copyright owner could be:
Complex works such as music or film may have multiple copyright owners.
| Type of work | Where to find the copyright owner details |
|---|---|
| Books | Usually the publisher, sometimes the author. Check the front matter or imprint page. |
| Journal articles | Most online journal articles will have a statement indicating who owns the copyright. Try downloading a PDF copy if there is no statement in html version. If you cannot find any copyright owner statement, then it is most likely the publisher. |
| Webpages | Look for an organisation's About page, or Terms and Conditions, Copyright or Licensing link in website footers. |
| Artistic works and photographs | Usually, the artist owns the copyright. Graphic designs or corporate images may be owned by businesses. |
| Music and sound recordings | Copyright is usually held by the record company or company that produced the sound recording. |
| Films | Copyright is usually owned by the production company. |
| Charles Sturt course material |
If the material is created by staff during their employment at Charles Sturt, copyright is owned by the university. If a student created the work, copyright is owned by the student. Third party material used under licence for teaching will be held by the original copyright owner or licensor. |
Museums, galleries, archives and library catalogues sometimes indicate the copyright ownership of items in their collections.
The Australian Copyright Council fact sheet on Ownership of Copyright has more information about identifying copyright owners.
Journal and book publishers often have a copyright permissions link or online form.
Most universities and government departments have a copyright contact link on their websites.
There may be information under website terms and conditions.
Refer to the Fact Sheet below for details on how to find contact information for copyright owners.
Copyright (or Intellectual Property) created by staff at Charles Sturt is owned by the university (IP policy).
Authority to approve licensing of university IP in teaching material lies with the Executive Dean or DVC-A (Delegation Schedule A40).
Authors need to:
1. Confirm that the content of the material is a staff member's original work and not copied from elsewhere, i.e. confirm Charles Sturt owns the copyright and has not used third party material under a licence or with permission.
2. Email the Executive Dean requesting permission to use Charles Sturt copyright material in the publication (optional template).
3. Forward the Executive Dean’s reply approving the use to the collaborator, editor, or publisher requiring proof of permission.
Ideally, copyright ownership and licensing of your contribution will have been negotiated and agreed in writing at commencement of the project. If you are not sure ask your editor or collaborator.
Students own the copyright of their original work produced for their studies, i.e. assignments and theses (IP policy). Permission is needed from the student to reuse their work.
There is a risk of liability for copyright infringement if you use a copyright work without permission. Publishers may refuse to accept a manuscript containing any third party material without clear authority.
The best option is to find an alternative, but if an alternative is not possible, include a “good faith notice” . A “good faith notice” should say how you can be contacted and indicate your willingness to negotiate payment and/or take down the material if the copyright owner comes forward.
For teaching materials, it may be possible to rely on Section 200AB to use an orphan work if there is no other alternative. Read more about copyright exceptions in the Copyright Support Brightspace site.
An “orphan work” is material that is protected by copyright where the copyright owner is untraceable or cannot be contacted e.g. a company has ceased to operate or an author is unknown.
Orphan works are a subject for copyright legislative reform. Please inform the Copyright Librarian if you encounter issues with using orphan works.
Charles Sturt University acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which its campuses are located, paying respect to Elders, both past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples.
Charles Sturt University is an Australian University, TEQSA Provider Identification: PRV12018. CRICOS Provider: 00005F.
