This article is about the surprisingly complex question of ownership of copyright in research outputs of Australian universities. The goal of the article is to assist universities, researchers and research support staff to make better use of limited research resources, and manage competing imperatives for publications and impact within current constraints.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), together with the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), have prepared this submission to the National Cultural Policy consultation.

Australian creators struggle to understand copyright law and how to manage it for their own projects. Indeed, a new study has found copyright law can act as a deterrent to creation, rather than an incentive for it.

This study looks at how a sample of Australian creators understand, use and manage copyright law when they want to incorporate copyrighted material into their work. It focuses particularly on creators’ licensing practices and their employment of copyright exceptions (fair dealing).

Australia's new copyright legislation is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough to create an environment that fosters Australian innovation, argues Kylie Pappalardo.