Copyright Collecting Society Licences
Along with commercial licences with various suppliers, the University has agreements in place with all key Australian copyright collecting societies, who are responsible for licensing a broad range of material and distributing royalties to rights holders.
Copyright Agency: Text and Graphic Material
The University can copy and communicate literary, dramatic, artistic and musical works provided it is:
- for educational purposes
- not conducted for profit, aside from cost-recovery
- not provided under some other licence
- within the limits outlined below.
The statutory education licence extends to use of material in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) prompt, provided the AI service is within a closed enterprise environment that doesn’t require sublicensing of inputs, such as Microsoft Copilot when accessed using your University account.
Material copied or communicated under the statutory education licence should include the following attribution: Copied under the Copyright Act s.113P
The copying limits under the current agreement with Copyright Agency are based on the now-superseded Part VB of the Copyright Act:
Type of Material | Copy and Communication Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
Literary, dramatic or musical works of more than 10 pages (excluding anthologies) |
|
|
Anthologies of literary or dramatic works (compilations of works by different authors) | For works less than 15 pages:
For works 15 pages or more:
|
|
Periodicals (journals, newspapers) |
|
|
Artistic works | For incidental artistic works:
For artistic works from hardcopy form:
For artworks from electronic form:
|
|
Screenrights: TV and Radio Broadcasts
As with the licence for print and graphic material, the University can copy and communicate material that has been broadcast on television or radio, provided it is:
- for educational purposes
- not conducted for profit aside from cost-recovery
- not provided under some other licence.
This includes free-to-air and pay TV, as well as podcasts and webcasts if they were previously delivered as broadcasts in Australia. It does not cover material from on-demand commercial streaming services, such as Netflix, or internet radio that is not broadcast.
Material copied under the Screenrights licence should be shared with students via Reading Lists and can also be included in lecture recordings.
APRA-AMCOS, Aria and PPCA: Music
The commercial Music Licence with the music collecting societies permits the University to perform, record and share music under certain circumstances.
The licence only covers works that are in the APRA-AMCOS catalogue, however, it does not permit:
- remixing, arrangements, adaptations or mash-ups of musical works or recordings
- making recordings available for download on the internet
- fees for physical copies, other than at a cost recovery price
- the inclusion of any advertising or promotional material.
Performing music
The licence allows the University to perform both musical works (compositions) and sound recordings:
- at University events where ticket prices are less than $60 (ex. GST) per person
- at University graduation ceremonies regardless of ticket price
- during University activities conducted off-campus
- for educational purposes
- in the workplace for the benefit of University staff.
The licence excludes performances of musical works that would be considered:
- Grand Right Works in their entirety, e.g. musicals for which the music has been specifically written
- works in a dramatic context, e.g. music for live theatre productions with a narrative
- works associated with a ballet if accompanied with a visual presentation of that ballet
- choral works of more than 20 minutes’ duration
- works that are turned into a burlesque
- works where the lyrics have been changed.
Recording music
The licence allows the University to make audio recordings and audio-visual recordings, such as copying an existing commercial sound recording or filming a recital, concert or graduation ceremony.
Music recordings can be made:
- to play at University events and graduations
- of University events
- to use for educational purposes
- to stream on University social media platforms (excluding video material with commercial sound recordings added in post-production).
Audio recordings
Usage type | University recording | Commercial sound recording |
|---|---|---|
Store on a password-protected University platform only available to staff and students | Yes | Yes* |
Stream on a University website (e.g. latrobe.edu.au) | Yes | Yes |
Stream on official University social media platforms | Yes | Yes |
Provide to staff and students in a physical format | Yes | Yes |
* Commercial sound recordings used for educational purposes should be shared with students via Reading Lists.
Video recordings
Usage type | University sound recording. In-context or post-production | Commercial sound recordings captured in-context | Commercial sound recordings added post-production |
|---|---|---|---|
Store on a password-protected University platform only available to staff and students | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Stream on a University website (ending in '.edu' or '.edu.au') | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Stream on official University social media platforms | Yes | Yes | No |
Provide to staff and students in a physical format | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Any event organised and authorised by the University, such as concerts, recitals, alumni events, gallery exhibitions and Orientation Week activities. Events can be on or off campus and can be open to the public. Events held by third parties, such as concert promoters, are not considered University events even if they are held on campus for University students.
No. Only organisations that are 100% owned and operated by the University are covered by the licence. However, if these groups are participating in a University event organised and authorised by the University they may be covered.
Yes. The licence covers performing musical works or recorded music for educational purposes, including online.
No. La Trobe University cannot copy sheet music under this license, however a reasonable portion such as 10% of a musical score may be copied and communicated under the Copyright Agency licence.
Additional licencing may need to be obtained, particularly for events with tickets priced over $60, performance of Grand Right Works, works used in a dramatic context, and copying of entire music scores. In many cases, OneMusic Australia should be able to provide a suitable licence or advice. For individual works in a project, contact the label or authors directly to obtain permission.
Subscription streaming services are usually limited to personal use. Consider a commercial tier or service that permits the public performance of their catalogue.
Contact us
If you require further information about copyright, please get in touch.
Some sections adapted from Copyright at Adelaide University, with permission.