New laws allowing institutions in the educational, cultural and disability sectors to use material without breaching copyright have been announced by the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator Mitch Fifield.
The Minister said the reforms extended the current ‘safe harbour’ scheme in the Copyright Act 1968 to institutions in the three sectors.
“The safe harbour scheme will protect these sectors from legal liability where they can demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to reduce copyright infringement on their online systems or networks,” Senator Fifield said.
“Schools and universities play a vital role in providing services to millions of students and staff every day,” he said.
“Classrooms are increasingly interactive and connected, with virtually every aspect of education today involving some use of digital technology.”
He said passage of the new laws built on a commitment to modernise Australia’s 50-year-old copyright law.
“The new legislation will facilitate more confident use of digital technologies and tools, particularly in the digital education environment,” the Minister said.
“The Bill will help nearly 9,500 primary and secondary schools and 41 universities across Australia to confidently provide digital services to their 3.5 million school, and more than 1.3 million higher education students.”
He said libraries, archives and key cultural institutions would have greater flexibility to provide connectivity services and support to millions of Australians, including caching user searches, hosting social media content, and providing internet access.
He said the new law involved extensive consultation with copyright users and rights holders and his Department was working with stakeholders on a number of other copyright modernisation reforms.
