Universities Australia is pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to the discussion on how Australia can develop a copyright exceptions regime that is fit for purpose in the digital environment.
Copyright is rapidly emerging as the next major intellectual property challenge for all leading industrialised economies due to the ever-increasing pervasiveness of digital technology. The same challenges are arising in the higher education sector. Teaching, learning and research increasingly rely on the Internet for access to and dissemination of information. As this review takes place, policy makers around the world are actively reconsidering the relationship between copyright exceptions and innovation, research, and economic growth, with a view to ensuring that their economies are capable of fully utilising digital technology to remain competitive in a global market.
In our submission, a copyright regime that safeguards the rights of copyright owners and encourages research and innovation is not inconsistent with a regime that acknowledges the special position of users, particularly education sector users. A flourishing digital economy is one based not only on the production and distribution of knowledge, but also on its use.
To read Universities Australia's full submission, see the attachment below.
