Fair go – how to use creative work made by other people responsibly

Every day, teachers across Australia use stories, poems, newspaper articles and photographs to make learning fun and interesting. They might copy or share these materials with their class to help explain a topic or spark new ideas.

But did you know that these creative works are protected by something called copyright?

Copyright is a law that helps protect the work people create and gives them the right to decide how their work is copied, shared or used.

For example, if you write a story or draw a picture, it belongs to you as soon as you create it. That means other people can’t copy it, sell it or publish* it without your permission, unless the law allows it in certain situations.

Sharon Maguchu, who is head of government and education licensing* at not-for-profit* organisation the Copyright Agency, said every creative person starts by learning from someone else’s work.

“We read books, look at art, listen to music and then build on those ideas,” she said. “Copyright helps make that possible by giving people access to creative work, while making sure the writers, artists and publishers behind it are recognised and paid.”

While she said people often think copyright is all about saying, “don’t copy”, that’s not the case.

“It’s about helping young people understand where ideas and creative work come from, how to use them responsibly and why it’s important to acknowledge the people who created them,” Ms Maguchu said.

Teachers are allowed to copy and share many books, articles, images and other learning resources* with their students under special copyright rules called the Statutory Education Licence. This means they don’t have to ask for permission every time they use these materials in class.

Education departments pay for this use through the licence. The Copyright Agency collects these payments and passes them on to the authors, illustrators, photographers, publishers and other creators whose work is used in schools, so they can continue making the books, images and learning resources that students and teachers enjoy using every day.

The Australian Copyright Council has a fact sheet that explains what teachers can copy and share for school, as long as they’re using them to help students learn.

They include things like chapters from books, newspaper and magazine articles, photographs, illustrations, graphs, charts and artworks.

They can share them in many ways, including on educational platforms such as Google Classroom, interactive whiteboards, photocopies and reading aloud.

There are rules, though. Teachers can’t copy an entire book or other publication that can be bought, such as a textbook. They also need to make sure online learning materials can only be accessed by their students and, when needed, parents or carers who are helping with learning at home.

It’s also OK for students to use a small part of someone else’s work for a good reason, which is known as fair dealing.

For example, if you’re learning about dinosaurs, you might copy one page from a book to help with your school project. That’s different from copying the whole book. The person who wrote and illustrated the book worked hard to make it, so you should only use what you need and always say where it came from. This is known as a credit.

When you create a school project, you can also use parts of other people’s work to help share your ideas. You might make a remix, video, slide show, artwork or other creative project using small parts of songs, videos, pictures or text.

Copyright lawyer Jessica Coates, who is director of Policy Education and Research at the Australian Library & Information Association, said when crediting* you should always include the person’s name, the details and the link to the work if you can.

“You can include more information if it’s available and you have room,” she said.

Copyright can be complex, but if you have more questions the Smartcopying website provides a comprehensive* guide to copyright issues relevant* to schools.

For more information visit smartcopying.edu.au

POLL

GLOSSARY

• publish: to make information available to people, especially in a book, magazine, or newspaper
• licensing: giving or getting official permission to do, have, use, or sell something
• not-for-profit: an organisation that does not operate for profit or personal gain
• resources: useful or valuable possessions a person or organisation has
• crediting: to publicly acknowledge a person’s contribution
• comprehensive: complete and thorough
• relevant: connected with what is happening or being discussed

EXTRA READING

Part 8: Being scam savvy

Part 9: Your data, your rules

Part 10: Reality check during elections

QUICK QUIZ

1. What can’t you do with something that is protected by copyright?
2. How can you use someone else’s creative work responsibly?
3. What’s the name of the special copyright rules that allow teachers to copy and share books, articles, images and other learning resources?
4. Name four types of creative roles
5. What should you always include when crediting someone for using their work?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
Kids News has created a special Digital Literacy Education Kit in close collaboration with one of Kids News’ invaluable daily teacher contributors, Courtney Beckwith.

The kit aims to help kids understand some of the major digital media challenges and learn the fundamentals of looking after themselves as they navigate this rapidly changing landscape.

The digital kit is designed for students from Year 3 onwards to learn the fundamentals of looking after their online safety and wellbeing.

The kit comes with an interactive, downloadable PDF workbook of 24 activities, created by Courtney and aligned to the National Curriculum.

The kit content covers:

Part 1: Digital wellbeing

Part 2: Your news filter

Part 3: Deepfakes and AI images

Part 4: Clickbait and engagement traps

Part 5: Algorithms and your feed

Part 6: Influencers and advertising

Part 7: Gaming chats and group DMs

Part 8: Being scam savvy

Part 9: Your data, your rules

Part 10: Reality check during elections

Part 11: Copyright, fair dealing and creative reuse

Part 12: Why Aussie kids need to be e-Smart Agents

Courtney’s workbook is supported by 12 dedicated editorial stories on digital literacy on our Education Kits topic page.

These stories inform the classroom activities and will assist students to answer the questions in the workbook.

The Kids News Digital Literacy Education Kit is FREE to teachers and parents who have sign up to receive the free weekly Kids News newsletter.

A link and a special access code will be sent to subscribers in forthcoming newsletters. Not getting the edm? Sign up free HERE.