Copyright amendments relating to remote learning
April 29, 2024
On 11 April, the Attorney General announced that the Government would introduce amendments to the Copyright Act in relation to remote learning.
You can see the announcement here.
The amendments are intended to address perceived uncertainties by some in the school sector regarding remote learning by school students. Remote learning has been in place in the higher education sector for a long time, but was new for many schools during the pandemic.
The amendments are also intended to address perceived uncertainties regarding parents and guardians participating in school students’ classes, and presentations by members of the community in school students’ classes.
As noted in the announcement, the changes reflect agreement on legislative change between representatives from the school sector and representatives from the creative industries, including Copyright Agency, Australian Society of Authors and Australian Publishers Association. You can see the Australian Society of Authors statement on the announcement here.
The Government has also said that it will be conducting further consultation on the use of ‘orphan works’ (copyright material for which a rightsholder cannot be found).