Copyright Collecting Society Licences

Along with commercial licences with various vendors, 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.

The agreements with Copyright Agency and Screenrights are sometimes referred to as statutory or compulsory education licences, as the Copyright Act expressly permits educational institutions to use protected material administered by these collection societies for educational purposes, so long as they are fairly remunerated.

'Educational purposes' generally refers to copying an item for use in connection with a particular course or to include it in a library collection. It does not extend to copying conducted by students.

  • Copyright Agency: print 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 form cost-recovery.
    • Within the limits outlined below.

    Material copied or communicated under the Copyright Agency licence must include a warning notice.

    The copy and communication limits under the current agreement with Copyright Agency are based on the now-superseded Part VB of the Copyright Act: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)
    • 10% of the pages.
    • 10% of the words for eBooks, if pagination is variable.
    • 1 chapter, if divided into chapters.
    • Whole work if it isn't available for purchase within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.

    eBooks are typically governed by license terms which override this provision.

    Musical works refer to music compositions. See APRA-AMCOS, ARIA & PPCA: music for sound recordings.
    Anthologies of literary or dramatic works (compilations of works by different authors)

    For works less than 15 pages:

    • Whole work.

    For works 15 pages or more:

    • 10% of the pages;
    • 1 chapter, if divided into chapters; or
    • Whole work if it hasn't been separately published.

    'Works’ are the individual works such as poems or short stories that make up the compilation, not the entire anthology itself.

    More than 1 work per anthology may be copied if these criteria are met AND no more than 10% of the entire anthology is copied.
    Periodicals (journals, newspapers)
    • 1 article per issue; or
    • Multiple articles if they relate to the same subject matter.
    		 Electronic journals are typically governed by licence terms which override this provision.
    Artistic works

    For incidental artistic works:

    • Whole work.

    For artistic works from hardcopy form:

    • Whole work if it hasn't been separately published or isn't available for purchase at an ordinary commercial price in a reasonable time.

    For artworks from electronic form:

    • Whole work regardless of commercial availability.

    Artistic works are considered incidental if they're included for the purpose of explaining or illustrating another work.

    Note that the ‘educational purposes’ excludes merely decorative images.

  • Screenrights: TV and radio broadcasts

    As with the licence for print and graphic material, the University can copy and communicate material that has been broadcasted on television or radio provided it is:

    • For educational purposes.
    • Not conducted for profit aside form cost-recovery.

    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.

    Unlike other video material played in class, material copied under the Screenrights licence can be included in lecture recordings.

    Material copied and communicated under the Screenrights licence must:

    • Be distributed to students via Course Readings.
    • Include a warning notice. This is automatically added to the start of Echo360 lecture recordings. 
    • Have each copy labelled with the following:

    Made for the University of Adelaide under s113P of the Copyright Act 1968

    Station/Channel:
    Name of Program:
    Date/Time program was transmitted:
    Date this copy was made (if different):

    For physical copies this can be added directly on the copy or container, while for electronic copies it can be recorded in the file properties.

  • APRA-AMCOS, ARIA & PPCA: music

    The commercial Music Licence with the music collecting societies permits the University to perform, record, and share music under certain circumstances. Note that the licence only covers works that are in the APRA-AMCOS catalogue.

    Performing music

    The licence allows the University to perform both musical works (e.g. 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.

    Sharing recorded music

    The following tables outline how different types of recordings can be used. ‘University recording’ refers to the capture of staff or student’s live performance of a musical work that is represented by APRA-AMCOS. For video, ‘in-context’ refers to music that is captured at the time of filming, while ‘post-production’ occurs when music is added in at the editing stage.

    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 (ending in adelaide.edu.au) Yes Yes
    Stream on official University social media platforms Yes Yes
    Provide to staff and students in a physical format Yes Yes

    Video recordings

    Usage type University sound recording - in-context or post-production Commercial sound recordings captured in-context Commercial sound recordings captured 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

    *The University’s Copyright Compliance Policy requires that copies of commercial sound recordings used for educational purposes must only be made available online to students via Course Readings.

    The licence 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.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    What is a University event?

    Any event organised and authorised by the University such as concerts, recitals, alumni events, gallery exhibitions and O-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.

    Does the licence cover the student union, sports association and student clubs?

    No. Only organisations which 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.

    Does the licence cover online classes?

    Yes. The licence covers performing and recording music used in a course of instruction whether that instruction is given in person or online. 

    Does the licence cover print music?

    No. The University of Adelaide cannot copy sheet music under this licence, however a reasonable portion such as 10% of the musical notation may be copied and communicated under the Copyright Agency licence.

    What if the licence doesn’t cover my proposed use?

    Additional licensing will 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. For events, OneMusic Australia may be able to provide a suitable licence or advice.  For individual works in a project, contact the label or authors directly to obtain permission.

    Can I use Spotify or Apple Music?

    Subscription streaming services are usually limited to personal use. Consider a commercial tier or service that permits the public performance of their catalogue.

  • Warning notices

    The following warning notice must be included with any material copied or communicated under the Copyright Agency or Screenrights licences, such as print, graphic, or broadcast material:

    This material has been copied and communicated under the Statutory Licence pursuant to s113P of the Copyright Act 1968 for the educational purposes of the University of Adelaide. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection.

    The notice is automatically added to:

    • The beginning of Echo360 lecture recordings.
    • Copies of scanned print material made available to students via Course Readings.
    • On the final/closing master slide of the University Powerpoint template.

    If images copied under the Copyright Agency licence are used elsewhere, such as interactives or course modules in MyUni, the above warning text should be copied into the course information module or somewhere adjacent to the copied material.

    See Communications, Spaces and Events for information on copyright notices required for copying machines.

Contact the Copyright Coordinator