This paper explores the fundamental questions facing the copyright system in the new industrial and digital era. It considers a broad range of issues including the evolving concept of authorship, originality, exhaustion issues, and the fair use or fair dealing doctrine in the new global context.

This discussion paper identifies the major library policies, systems and staff activities that will be affected by changes to the copyright duration provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), due to come into effect on 1 January 2019.

In this submission, IFLA underlines the need for flexible exceptions and thus welcomed the introduction of a fair use exception, and alternatively an extended fair dealing exception that among its purposes recognised “library and archive use”, “certain educational uses” and “text and data mining”, among others.

This consultation paper sets out some specific matters in relation to which stakeholder views are sought. However submissions are welcomed on any aspect of the Exposure Draft, and more generally, on whether the Exposure Draft is fit for purpose.

From 1 January 2019, new standard terms of copyright protection will apply to original published and unpublished works, sound recordings and cinematograph films.