You should first check the CD-ROM licence to see what it allows people using the CD-ROM to do, and what it expressly prohibits. If there is nothing in the licence agreement which limits what you can copy, you may copy or print material from a CD-ROM, if:
it is for your research or study; and
the use is fair.
Yes, provided:
it is for your research or study; and
the use is fair
A person working in a library may copy certain types of material for you (such as print material or artistic works) for your research or study, under special provisions for libraries in the Copyright Act. You will need to sign a written request stating that you need the material for your research or study and will not use it for any other purpose. If the work you want to copy is commercially available, the librarian can only copy a “reasonable portion” of it. For more information, see our book Libraries & Copyright.
It is unlikely that someone working in another type of organisation, such as a print shop, could rely on the research or study provisions to copy for you. In one case, the Court held that a commercial press clipping service was not able to copy for “research” or “study”, even if the recipients of the press clippings wanted clippings for research or study: the press clipping company’s purpose in copying was to make money.
However, another person may be able to make a copy for you, if the organisation for which the person works has a copyright licence that allows it to copy the material you want. For example, many organisations (including clipping services) have agreements with Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) whereby, in return for a fee, the organisation’s staff can make photocopies.
The Government introduced “moral rights” into the Copyright Act in December 2000, and as a result you need to attribute the author of material you copy, unless it is reasonable not to do so.
In addition, note that many educational institutions expect their students to acknowledge sources in particular ways, and that in many professions and contexts it is expected, as a matter of professional or academic standards, that material will be properly cited.
Generally, as per the usual rules of copyright ownership, students own copyright in material they create.
We are not aware that educational institutions at the primary or secondary levels make any claim to own copyright in their students’ work. There are, however, some situations at the tertiary level where students create material under agreements that alter the general ownership rules. We understand that this is particularly the case in film schools, for example, but we don’t understand this to be common for other TAFE or undergraduate courses.
Generally, you do not avoid infringement by making changes. If the altered version includes an important part of the work, then you should get permission.