Copying copyright material if you are a UWA student

Can I copy copyright material if I am a student?

Answer ID 697 | Last updated on 30/01/2024 02.16 PM

Under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act, you can reproduce copyright material without permission provided it is for the purposes of:

  • research or study
  • criticism or review
  • parody or satire

And providing your use of the material is 'fair'. 

For books, journal articles and notated music the Copyright Act considers it 'fair' to copy a reasonable portion, which is defined as:

  • an article in a periodical publication (e.g. a journal or newspaper article)
  • more than one article from a periodical publication if it is for the same course of study or research
  • 10% or one chapter if the work is a published edition of 10 pages or more; or 10% of the words if the work is in electronic form.

When deciding whether to copy more than this amount, or if you are copying an artistic work (such as an image or photograph) or audiovisual material (such as a sound recording, film or TV program), you must consider whether your use would be considered 'fair'. To decide whether your use is fair, consider the following factors:

  • the purpose and character of your use
  • the nature of the work
  • the possibility of obtaining the work within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price
  • the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the work
  • the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole work.

See the Copyright at UWA webpage for more information.

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