Australian copyright law is a very interesting topic. It has changed over time, along with the Australian government. Nowadays, it is close to other countries' copyright laws and is very complex, with many decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis. Over time, Australian copyright law has been heavily influenced by British and international copyright law. Initially, the English had created the Statue of Anne, 1709, which gave weak protection to the perpetrators. Until the introduction of British law in Australia in 1928, it gained protection for carvings and sculptures. Over time it evolved, adding speeches, paintings and photographs. Long before British law was adopted, some colonies (subsequent states) had their own type of copyright law which could vary from colony to colony. The first copyright law was passed in a colony of Victoria, Australia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay After Australia joined the Commonwealth, the Constitution of the Commonwealth allowed Parliament to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth. As the Australian Constitution also gave this power to Parliament, immediate changes were made. From that moment on, copyright law and all related issues were no longer the responsibility of the states, but of the federal parliament. The first copyright statute to evolve in the hands of federal parliament was the Copyright Act 1905, an adapted version of the British law. Australia became fully party to British copyright law, when it adopted the British Copyright Act 1911, in 1912. This law remained in force until 1969, when the Australian Copyright Act 1968 came into force. 1968 was created after the revision of the 1911 Act and apparently did not comply with the Brussels Act of the Berne Convention. So far the 1968 law is in force, however some changes have been made. Australian law protects literary works, musical works, artistic works, dramatic works, sound recordings, films, broadcasts and published works. Prior to 2004, works entered the public domain 50 years after death, however, after 2006, works remained out of the public domain until 70 years after death. In Australia, copyright does not apply to works published before May 1969. Under the 1968 Act, any work published after the author's death will enter the public domain not 70 years after the author's death, but 70 years after publication. Unpublished literary, dramatic and musical works enjoy indefinite copyright protection. The main exception to copyright in Australia is fair deal (not to be misunderstood as fair use), which allows the use of copyrighted works that fall within the scope of specific purposes. Each type of work varies, but some possibilities are research, study, reporting, reviewing, criticizing, prosecuting, or providing professional legal advice. Some other exceptions fall under private copying. From 2006 onwards, recording broadcast to be viewed or listened to later, to make copies of sound recordings for home and private use, or to copy a newspaper, magazine or literary work for private use. In Australia, a copyright notice does not need to appear on a work for copyright to be enforceable. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay.