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Copyright & Intellectual Property

Copyright applies when:

  • you download or print material from a database or website
  • you scan or photocopy books, articles or other materials
  • you use extracts of others people in your own work, eg when writing a paper or giving a presentation.

 

You can use copyright materials:

  • if the amount would be considered an insubstantial excerpt
  • for personal research or study ( see Fair Use provisions)
    • you can copy 10% or 1 chapter of a book,   or
    • one article from an edition of a journal
  • for educational purposes
    • eg taking a screenshot or photo of a webpage to study it later
  • copyright has expired or been waived
    • creators may allow usage through a Creative Commons licence. Some conditions may still apply.
    • you must still attribute/cite the source
  • if you have the copyright holders permission
  • for personal use, if you abide by the personal use provisions
  • to assist a person with a disability
  • for criticism or review
  • to give professional advice

 

You can not:

  • reproduce or distribute copyright materials without permission. This includes:
    • posting material on websites
    • emailing documents to others
    • distributing copies of material
  • use materials without attribution

 

More information

Australian Copyright Council -  an introduction to copyright in Australia

Australian Copyright Council - Researchers

Melbourne Health - Copyright Procedure (Policy Number MH13.07)