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Copyright at UNSW

What are the rights of copyright owners?

The Copyright Act gives copyright owners a bundle of exclusive rights that control how their material can be used. Copyright owners have the exclusive rights as follows.

Literary, dramatic, musical works
  • copy and reproduce the work (photocopy, scan, upload/download)
  • publish the work (make the work public for the first time; distribute copies for sale)
  • communicate the work to the public (make it available online, email)
  • perform the work in public (live performance of the work, playing a recording of the work)
  • make an adaption of the work (writing a screenplay based on a novel, translation of a literary work)
Artistic works
  • copy and reproduce the work
  • publish the work
  • communicate the work to the public
Films, sound recordings and broadcasts
  • copy and reproduce the material
  • show the film or play the sound recording in public
  • communicate the film or sound recording to the public
  • rebroadcast TV and radio broadcasts and communicate to the public (i.e. internet, streaming)

Creators and owners of copyright material can transfer their rights or license their materials. If copyright is transferred to another person, they then own the copyright in the material and the associated rights.

Need help?

UNSW staff and students can contact copyright@unsw.edu.au for assistance with a copyright query or to arrange a copyright information session.