Following changes to the Copyright Act earlier this year, a number of amendments that are directly relevant to university and library preservation, management and use of copyright materials will come into effect from December 22 in time for the 2018 academic year.

These are:

• Disability provisions for copying by or on behalf of someone with a disability
  Disability access provisions have been simplified to ensure more equitable access to copyright material. The provisions are designed to be flexible, ensuring copyright material can be converted into accessible formats with appropriate features without requiring the permission of the copyright owner. This has allowed Australia to ratify the 2016 Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (the Marrakesh Treaty).
• Provisions for Libraries, archives and galleries to preserve and manage use of their collections
  The current complex provisions dealing with copying and communicating copyright material for preservation, research and administration purposes, will be replaced with two simpler provisions providing greater flexibility.
• Simplified statutory licensing arrangements for copying or communicating materials for educational purposes
  The existing educational statutory licences in Parts VA and VB of the Copyright Act 1968 (Act) will be replaced by one simplified statutory licence (New Statutory Licence). The New Statutory Licence will provide greater flexibility over what can be negotiated and agreed with Copyright Agency and Screenrights in relation to copying and communications. This includes the copying and communication limits for works.

Also, from 2019 the duration of copyright in unpublished material will align with published material.

Works that have not been made public will no longer be protected by perpetual copyright. This will allow greater use of material such as unpublished letters and manuscripts that are an important part of Australia’s cultural and scholarly heritage.

To find out more detail about these changes, a brief overview will be provided at the following times:

• Thursday 14 December 11-11.30am
  Thursday 14 December 3-3.30pm
  Letters Room, Dixson Library
  No booking required.

A copy of the Act may be read on the Parliament of Australia website.