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Copyright @ Charles Sturt University: Introduction

Charles Sturt University Copyright Guidelines

What is copyright?

Copyright law grants a set of exclusive rights to creators of original works. Protection is automatic. Although Copyright law may vary in different countries, the basic principle is to protect the rights of the creator, regardless of their country of origin, while balancing the needs of users. The laws of each country apply to copying done in that country. 

The rights are to:

  • reproduce the work in material form;
  • publish the work;
  • perform the work in public;
  • communicate the work;
  • reproduce, publish, perform or communicate an adaptation of the work

These rights will remain with the creator unless they assign the rights to someone else, such as an employer or publisher, under contract or licence.

Copyright law does not protect ideas, styles, concepts or techniques.

Why does Copyright matter?

Copyright law must be considered before copying somebody else's work, whether for teaching, research or private purposes.  In Australia, copyright law is governed by the Australian Copyright Act 1968. The university relies on the statutory licences to copy readings and Australian broadcasts that are not available electronically, for teaching purposes. Limits and conditions apply. 

Charles Sturt University subscribes to electronic books, journals and audiovisual material which can be accessed by students enrolled in the university's courses, under contractual agreements.

Copyright laws protect material on the internet. Providing links to legitimate websites or documents does not infringe copyright. In some cases an Open Access licence is applied to material on the internet which can be used freely provided the conditions are met.

When is copyright infringed?

Copyright is infringed when any of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner are carried out by an unauthorised person who can not rely on any of the exceptions in the Act to copy, publish, perform, communicate, or adapt works. Care should be taken not to copy or link to material that is likely to infringe copyright.

Moral rights

The rights of attribution and integrity are known as Moral Rights. Regardless of who owns copyright in a work, the original creator/s must be attributed. The right of integrity means that the work cannot be changed in a way that would prejudice the creator's reputation or professional standing. 

When quoting or reproducing the work of others consult the Referencing at Charles Sturt University guidelines.

Duration of copyright

Duration is the length of time that copyright protection lasts. Copyright duration periods vary according to the type of work, when it was first made available to the public and/or when the creator died.

Further information: see the duration of copyright table.

Public domain

This is the term used to describe works in which the copyright protection period has expired. This material can be copied freely.

Who owns copyright at Charles Sturt?

Copyright ownership at Charles Sturt is governed by the university Intellectual Property policy

Academics and Researchers

Unless your employment states that your research or funding body owns copyright for the material you create, then academics and researchers own copyright of their scholarly material. This includes essays, books, chapters, journal articles, images, etc.

The University

Charles Sturt will own copyright for:

  • material created by professional staff as part of their employment such as emails and reports
  • works created in the course of research by academic staff as part of their employment such as reports and databases
  • original teaching material - permission can be granted for this material to be used outside of Charles Sturt if the content is labelled © Charles Sturt University

Students

Students own copyright in their own original work.

Permission

See the Requesting permission to reuse copyright material guide for:

  • when to seek permission
  • how to request permission 
  • permission request letter templates
  • keeping records of permissions obtained 

Enquiries and help

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.Acknowledgement of Country

Charles Sturt University is an Australian University, TEQSA Provider Identification: PRV12018. CRICOS Provider: 00005F.