Copyright and digitisation
Works can be digitised and made available (communicated) to students or the world under a range of provisions under the Copyright Act 1968. Be aware however that there are works that the exceptions in the Act and statutory licences do not apply to. You will need to understand the copying and communication provisions of the Copyright Act to ensure that any works that you digitise through the Printery are managed appropriately.
The University's Copyright guides are available on this website, and if you need advice in relation to a University copyright matter and your question has not been resolved after reviewing the materials available, you may refer your question to the ANU Copyright Officer for further assistance.
What can you digitise and make available to students and the world?
Briefly works can be made available (copied or communicated) without relying on exceptions under the following circumstances:
- the University may be the copyright holder - these works may be made available without payment or keeping records;
- copyright may have expired;
- the works may be published under a Creative Commons licence that allows for reproduction without permission (eg CC BY);
- copying and communication occurs with permission of the creator (records should be kept of the approval).
What is the duration of copyright?
For full information on duration of copyright see Department of Communications and the Arts - copyright.
What can you digitise and make available to students?
There are several additional options available for material you wish to make available to students, in particular under the statutory licence that Universities Australia has negotiated for us with the Copyright Agency under Part VB of the Copyright Act:
- Book chapters can be made available through e-reserve (one book chapter or up to 10% of a book from each published book). This service provides online access to scanned print material. Information about how to put material on e-reserve can be found at on the Library website.
- Book chapters can be made available through the learning management system (again one book chapter or up to 10% of a book from each published book).
What can you digitise as an individual researcher?
You can copy limited amounts of copyright material for research or study and criticism or review. The definitions of reasonable portions are:
Work or adaptation | Amount that is a reasonable portion |
|---|---|
A literary, dramatic or musical work (except a computer program), or an adaptation of such a work, that is contained in a published edition of at least 10 pages | (a) 10% of the number of pages in the edition; or(b) if the work or adaptation is divided into chapters-a single chapter |
A published literary work in electronic form (except a computer program or an electronic compilation, such as a database), a published dramatic work in electronic form or an adaptation published in electronic form of such a literary or dramatic work | (a) 10% of the number of words in the work or adaption or(b) if the work or adaptation is divided into chapters-a single chapter |
Students with a disability
The Copyright Act contains a number of provisions that allow material to be reproduced in accessible formats to assist people with disabilities. ANU Access and Inclusion and the Library work closely together to support students who are registered with the centre.
Library and archive digitisation
The Copyright Act contains a number of provisions that allow material to be reproduced by libraries and archives for preservation and other purposes. The Library and Archive very carefully review material before digitisation. Should you have any concerns about material that is digitised please let us know by completing this form.
ANU Copyright Officer:
Roxanne Missingham
T: 02 6125 2003
E: Roxanne.missingham@anu.edu.au