Public Access to Copyright Works Submitted to Government: Copyright Agency LTD V New South Wales and the Implications for Information Access

Abstract

The decisions of the Full Federal Court and High Court of Australia on 'Copyright Agency Ltd v New South Wales' are reviewed in the context of their relevance to copyright owners who submit works to government. The implications of the High Court's verdict on information, access and freedom of information legislation are explored. It is argued that a statutory exception to copyright infringement is needed to allow open access to government information.