About Us

Our Mission

We believe in the values copyright laws protect: creative expression and a thriving, diverse, sustainable, creative Australian culture. A society's culture flourishes when its creators are secure in their right to benefit from their creative work and when access to those creative works is easy, legal and affordable. Copyright effectively and efficiently enables this balance between protection and access.

The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organisation. Founded in 1968, we represent the peak bodies for professional artists and content creators working in Australia’s creative industries and Australia’s major copyright collecting societies.

We are advocates for the contribution of creators to Australia’s culture and economy; the importance of copyright for the common good. We work to promote understanding of copyright law and its application, lobby for appropriate law reform and foster collaboration between content creators and consumers.

We provide easily accessible and affordable practical, user-friendly information, legal advice, education and forums on Australian copyright law for content creators and consumers.

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Our Board

The Copyright Council's board has up to nine directors. At each Annual General Meeting (in April), affiliated organisations elect a maximum of six directors. Each elected director must be a representative of an affiliated organisation, and have been nominated by two other representatives of affiliated organisations.

The elected directors may appoint a representative of an affiliated organisation to fill a casual vacancy. In addition, the elected directors may appoint any person as an additional director, provided the total number of directors does not exceed nine.

Each director must retire at the following Annual General Meeting, but may be re-nominated for election or re-appointed.

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How We Are Funded

We are a non-profit organisation. The majority of our revenue comes from our seminars, publication sales and member fees, and we also receive substantial funding from the Australia Council.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, it's arts funding and advisory body.

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Our Members

The Copyright Council's 24 members include the peak bodies for Australian writers, musicians, photographers, visual artists, journalists, film makers and architects. These organsations have members that are either owners of copyright or performers.

Each organisation appoints a representative, who is entitled to attend, vote at the Annual General Meeting and other meetings and be nominated for election to the board.

The Council provides information to member organisations about developments and law reform issues affecting their members, co-ordinates responses from member organisations on certain issues, and assists member organisations with the preparation of submissions on copyright issues.

The Council does not represent the views of each affiliated organisation on every issue about which it makes a submission. On some issues, such as moral rights and performers’ rights, some of the member organisations represent the views of “users” rather than creators of copyright material. On issues such as these, the Council makes submissions in the interests of creators.

The following organisations are currently affiliated with the Australian Copyright Council: