5.5.2 Fair dealing
The Fair Dealing sections of the Copyright Act 1968 permit the copying of a reasonable portion of works for some specific purposes. These are:
- research or study
- criticism or review
- reporting of news
- provision of professional legal advice (Australian Copyright Council, 2005 p.2).
The Act defines the following reasonable portions as fair:
| Text published as an edition of 10 or more pages | Text published in electronic form | Newspaper, magazine or journal |
| 10% of the number of pages |
10% of the number of word
|
One article per issue, or multiple articles from the same issue if each article relates to the same subject matter. |
If the work is divided into chapters, it is fair to reproduce one chapter.
For other non-text based material, such as music, images, photographs and films, the Act does not state how much you may reproduce without permission. To be safe, it is best to seek permission from the creators of these works before using them.
| Note: The fair dealing provisions relates to copying by individuals for their own personal use. Reproduction for commercial purposes is not allowed under the provision. |
Further information on copyright and fair dealing
| Note: The Australia / United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) has obligated recent changes to copyright law. Most of the amended provisions came into effect on 1 January 2005. |
Remember, if you are using material in Australia, then Australian copyright law applies. However, it is important to remember that other countries have different copyright laws which apply if you are working or studying in that country.
Refer to Australian Copyright Council - Information Sheets at http://www.copyright.org.au/publications/G079.pdf
