Copyright information for researchers

Copyright material

This may include:

• publications and journal articles
• computer programs
• photographs and art works
• training materials
• medical forms and diagrams
• music, films, sound recordings and broadcasts.

Copyright owned by Queensland Health

Copyright protection in Australia is free and automatic – you don’t have to formally register your work. You can manage copyright material created during your research projects by:

• using the copyright notice "© State of Queensland (Queensland Health) (year)" on publications that include copyright material owned by Queensland Health.
• using creative commons licences (DOCX 76 kB) to let the public know how they may use Queensland Health material.
• ensuring that intellectual property (IP) provisions in research and procurement contracts are suitable for your project and getting legal or IP advice.

Hospital and health services should use their own HHS name in the copyright notice on materials they develop and own.

Copyright owned by other (non-Queensland Health) parties

The Copyright Act 1968 (Cwth) provides certain exclusive rights to copyright owners. These rights vary depending on the type of copyright material.

As part of your research you may want to use other people’s work by:

• reproducing material by photocopying, hand-copying, printing, scanning, filming or recording
• sharing material electronically by email, broadcasting it or publishing it on the internet
• showing films or playing recordings in public.

You’ll need to ensure that your use of the material does not infringe the exclusive rights of the copyright owner. You also need to ensure you have the right or permission to use the copyright material even if it’s already published on the internet.

You can use copyright material if you:

• use the material internally for the Queensland Government within the terms of a government statutory licence
• get written permission, or obtain a licence from the copyright owner(s) to use the material
• use the material in accordance with the owner’s copyright statement or creative commons licence - this information may appear on the material or on the copyright owner’s website
• use the material in accordance with one of the exceptions to infringement set out in the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwth).

Exceptions to infringement for research only apply in very limited circumstances. Read the Research or Study Fact Sheet on the Australian Copyright Council website for more information.

If you plan to use the material internally, read the Intellectual Property Fact Sheet – Copying of non-Queensland Health documents (PDF 7605 kB).

Attribution of authorship

Authors and other individuals who create copyright material, such as artists and photographers have personal legal rights called ‘moral rights’ under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwth).

Queensland Health researchers should avoid infringing the moral rights of authors and creators by:

• correctly identifying the author of copyright material
• ensuring the work isn’t subject to derogatory treatment, such as an alteration that’s harmful to the author’s reputation.

The Queensland Health DoRA 2.0 Authorship Policy (PDF 89 kB) has information about correctly attributing authorship.

Read our policies and find more information about copyright.