statutory government licence
- Overview
- Activities allowed under the Statutory Government licence
- Operation of surveys under the Statutory Government licence
- Use of newspaper clips under the Statutory Government licence
- Useful Information Sheets for government departments and agencies
- Agencies and departments falling under the Statutory Government licence
The Copyright Act enables Commonwealth, State and Territory governments (the Crown) and persons authorised in writing by the Crown to make an unlimited number of uses of copyright material for the services of government.
By providing this licence for government, the Copyright Act aims to balance the copying needs of government in Australia with the rights of authors and other creators to earn a living.
All Commonwealth, State and Territory government departments and agencies are eligible to copy and communicate under the Statutory Government licence.
CAL provides your agency or department with an indemnity to ensure your department or agency is protected against legal proceedings by having pre-determined terms for the use of copyright material. Additionally, since CAL has been declared by the Copyright Tribunal as the collecting society for government copies of works and published editions of works, government departments and agencies are no longer required to notify copyright owners of use when they have entered into an agreement with CAL. For a copy of the declaration please click here.
Activities allowed under the Statutory Government licence
Commonwealth, State and Territory government departments and agencies may make unlimited uses of any amount of copyright material for the services of government. This means unlimited reproductions, adaptations, and communications etc, essentially any act normally the exclusive right of the copyright owner. This is outlined in section 183 of the Copyright Act. There are different collecting societies that deal with the different mediums of works, such as performances and broadcasts.
Operation of surveys under the Statutory Government licence
CAL and government departments and agencies contract third party statistical research companies to conduct surveys of how much and what copyright material is used. These surveys are used to determine fees paid by the government for use of copyright materials. They also provide very important distribution information so that CAL can pass on royalties to the relevant authors and publishers whose works have been used. These surveys are conducted periodically in different government departments and agencies around Australia to ensure a fair representation of copyright data collected.
Use of newspaper clips under the Statutory Government licence
For information on using newspaper clips, please click here.
Useful Information Sheets for government departments and agencies
The following information sheet provides an overview of the Statutory Government licence:
The following information sheet provides an overview of how government departments and agencies can scan, store and distribute newspaper clips in digital and hardcopy form.
Agencies and departments falling under the Statutory Government licence
To find out if your department or agency falls under the Statutory Government licence and has an agreement with CAL please click the following links for your State, Territory or Commonwealth department:
[back to licensing] [back to government]