Introduction to Copyright
Contracts Dealing with Copyright
Contract terms can affect copyright rules The Copyright Act sets out default rules establishing exclusive rights and limitations on copyright, but contract terms are often used to modify these, for example by permitting more use of copyright than is ...
Exceptions to Copyright
Balancing the rights of authors and content users Copyright is not only concerned with author rights. It balances the right of authors to choose how their creations are used, with society’s interest in allowing people to access intellectual and ...
Duration of Copyright
Copyright lasts for a limited time During the term of copyright, anyone who wishes to copy or do another restricted act in relation to the relevant work must get permission from the copyright owner, unless the use is permitted under the Copyright ...
Ownership of Copyright
First ownership Under the Copyright Act, the author of an original work is usually the first owner of copyright in that work. The rights belong to the author automatically as soon as an original work has been put into material form, such as in ...
What Are the Rights Authors Have in Their Work?
Economic rights The author’s fundamental right is to decide how their work will be used, subject to some limitations. The law gives authors a set of exclusive rights to do certain activities in relation to their work or to authorise another person to ...
How Does Copyright Arise?
Automatic protection for material expression Copyright protection arises automatically under the Copyright Act once an original work is written down or recorded in some way, such as on paper, on canvas or in digital form. Material published on the ...
What material can copyright protect?
The types of protected works Copyright applies to a broad range of material or “works” made available in hard copy or digital formIn New Zealand, there is no definition of “work” in the Copyright Act, but the categories of work capable of copyright ...
Copyright's Purpose
Incentive to create It is generally accepted that one of the primary reasons for copyright is to provide an incentive for the creation and dissemination of creative works that meet our social and economic needs, including the promotion of learning ...
What is Copyright?
Author’s choice The basic premise of copyright law is that the author has the right to decide how their work will be used. In most cases, the author is the person who creates a work. (In this knowledge base, the term “author” and “creator” are used ...
What this Section is About
This section of the knowledge base provides an introduction to copyright law in New Zealand. It summarises the general principles of copyright, explains its purpose and highlights key aspects of New Zealand’s copyright framework. A few words about ...