Welcome to the world of government copyright

The Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) administers copyright law across the NSW Government. This responsibility lies within the Legislation and Policy Division of DJAG.

This site provides important information for government agencies to ensure the NSW Government meets its obligations under the Copyright Act 1968 and effectively manages copyright material owned or used by the government.

Copyright Management Toolkit	This toolkit provides a step by step guide to assist agencies to implement a copyright policy and manage their copyright assets effectively.
Šnews – Copyright Newsletter	View the latest issues of the copyright newsletter, released every two months.
Survey of television and radio copying by the NSW Government	All NSW government agencies are required to participate in an interim survey to measure copying of radio and television broadcasts. Click here for more information
Copyright Information Sessions	Find out how your agency can learn more about copyright and how it impacts on your organisation.
Libraries and Copyright	Information to assist government libraries meet and manage their copyright obligations.
Music Usage and the NSW Government	Find out about progress following the music usage survey.
FAQs - payment of copyright fees to Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL)	Find answers to frequently asked questions about the payment of copyright fees to CAL
Contact	Contact the State Copyright Manager of the Department of Justice and Attorney General

• Copyright Management Toolkit (Word doc - 403kb)
• Presentation from Copyright Information Session (ppt file - 1.4mb)
• Useful links and contact information (Word doc - 28.5kb)

• current negotiations and surveys with collecting societies for copyright use
• anticipated dates for collection of annual copyright licensing fees, and
• policies relating to publishing and licensing of government publications

Latest Issue August 2008 PDF version (606kb) Read online	What's inside When copying is considered a 'fair dealing' As a general rule, copyright owners have certain exclusive rights and copyright is infringed if people use copyright material without the permission of the copyright owner. The Copyright Act 1968 (Copyright Act) contains provisions that allow people to use copyright material without the permission of the copyright owner in particular situations and for particular purposes. This includes the ‘fair dealing’ provisions of the Copyright Act, which are explored in more detail in this issue of Šnews.	Photo: robin.elaine
Past Issues	Click here to access past issues of Šnews.

Photo: streetpreacher83

The vast majority of NSW Government agencies recently completed a Music Usage Survey. Thanks again to all those who took part. The March 2008 issue of Šnews provides some useful information for NSW Government agencies based on the current NSW Government and APRA Agreement (Australian Performing Right Association). The results of the Survey have provided the Department of Justice and Attorney General with a much better understanding of how agencies use music in the workplace. Some preliminary results of the survey are provided in the Šnews Copyright Newsletter. Agencies wishing to discuss music in the workplace in more detail should contact the State Copyright Manager on the contact details below.

Photo: a trying youth

The Department of Justice and Attorney General is currently in the process of developing a guide for Government libraries that provides practical advice on complying with the Copyright Act. Further details on the guide will be posted on this site in the near future. For library staff wishing to comment on the current draft (issued mid 2007), please contact the State Copyright Manager.

Copyright information sessions were held in October and November 2006 for government staff. Over 120 people from 70 different agencies attended the sessions. The presentation materials included a Copyright Management Toolkit, which contains template documents that agencies can use and adapt to create and implement a copyright policy. If you think your organisation could benefit from an information session, simply contact the State Copyright Manager. Information sessions will also be held for Copyright Survey Managers for the Survey of government copying of television and radio. See the Survey page for further details.

The State Copyright Manager is available to assist agencies with creating and implementing copyright policies, questions relating to the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) and other collecting societies and general copyright queries.