Copyright is an unregistered form of intellectual property (IP) founded on a person's creative skill and labour. It protects the original expression of an idea or information. Copyright material generally includes items such as books, artwork, software, film and sound recordings.
Copyright provides exclusive economic rights that allow the copyright owner to do certain acts with their copyright material. These acts may include copying, publishing, publicly performing or otherwise communicating the copyright material (for example, broadcasting it or making it available online). Copyright owners may also licence another person to do some or all of those acts.
Copyright law also provides non-economic rights, known as moral rights. These are designed to protect the creative integrity of copyright creators.
In Australia, copyright is granted automatically from the time an original work is created and does not need to be registered. With no formalities and low barriers to protection, copyright is easily accessible to different sectors, including Small and Medium Enterprises.
The Attorney-General and the Attorney-General’s Department is responsible for managing the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) (Copyright Act). The Attorney-General's Department develops Australian copyright policy and represents Australia’s interests in relation to international copyright issues.
Key highlights:
- In 2022–23, ‘cultural and creative activity’ contributed around $63.7 billion to the Australian economy, equivalent to 2.5% of Australia’s GDP.
- Licensing of copyright material is a significant driver of economic returns for artists, musicians, writers and screen industry workers, with over $800 million paid through collecting societies in 2023–24.1
- Copyright reform is advancing, including proposals for an Australian orphan works scheme and updates to clarify copyright settings in education and emerging AI uses.
The contribution of copyright to Australia
Copyright has a central role in content-based industries as a driver of economic value. Collectively, these industries are sometimes referred to as the ‘creative economy’ – a way of recognising the economic value of creativity and innovation underpinned by IP rights.2 Copyright laws incentivise the creation of new cultural material while allowing reasonable and equitable use of copyright material in the public interest.3
The generation of IP, such as copyright, is 1 of 4 criteria the Australian Government uses to identify what is in scope when measuring the economic contribution of cultural and creative activity.4 In 2022–23, using this methodology, it was estimated ‘cultural and creative activity’ contributed $63.7 billion to the Australian economy and was equivalent to 2.5% of Australia’s GDP.5 To put this into context, cultural and creative activity is comparable in size to Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fishing industry, and the accommodation and food services industry.
Cultural and creative activity has grown in absolute terms from $39.4 billion in 2008–09.6 Further, in 2021, 281,986 workers were employed in cultural and creative industries. Between 2016 and 2021, the number of workers in these industries increased by 10.7%, slightly lower than the growth in national employment of 12.7%.7
Australian Government estimates show that the cultural and creative industries with the greatest economic output include:
- advertising and promotion ($33.9 billion)
- print media and publishing (excluding internet) ($30.5 billion)
- film and television activities ($17.5 billion)
- architecture services ($14 billion).
Endnotes
- Australasian Performing Right Association Limited, Annual Financial Report 30 June 2024, 2024; Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited, Annual Financial Report 30 June 2024 2024; Copyright Agency Limited, Copyright Agency Annual Report for Parliament for the year ended 30 June 2024, 2024.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Guide on Surveying the Economic Contribution of the Copyright-based Industries 2015.
- Commonwealth of Australia, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place – Australia’s cultural policy for the next five years, 2023.
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Cultural and Creative Activity in Australia, 2008-09 to 2022-23 (Methodology Refresh)– Statistical Working Paper, Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australian Government, 2024.
- In 2024, the methodology used to measure cultural and creative activity was updated, and the figures are not comparable with previous Australian IP reports.
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Analysis of the Cultural and Creative Sector Revive: Sectoral Analysis, Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australian Government, 2024.
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Analysis of the Cultural and Creative Sector Revive: Sectoral Analysis.