Under the terms of section 113P of the Copyright Act 1968, educational institutions can make copies of copyright works as long as the copy is made only for the educational purposes of the institution. Additionally, there are limits on how much can be copied. Generally, and especially for commercially available works, this is "a reasonable portion", which may mean only part of a work. Further details on what is considered a reasonable portion by the Act can be found in the link below (limits for photocopying from hardcopy sources) but briefly, here are some of the limits for copying:

  • For books, 10% of the total number of pages, or one chapter if the work is broken up into chapters.
  • For journal articles, one article from an issue of a journal, or more than one if they are on the same subject matter.
    • Determining if the articles relate to the same subject matter is necessarily a case-by-case approach. In deciding whether the articles meet the criteria of the Act, follow the above approach. Contact the Copyright Officer for further assistance where required.

As long as the copying is done for educational purposes, and the amount copied is a reasonable portion, staff members are able to rely on the provision of Section 113P of the Copyright Act 1968 for their teaching.

Want to provide this material to your students online?
Please submit it via Leganto to ensure it complies with all requirements.

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Please view the Copyright guide on the University Library website for more information about the above topic as well as other areas of Copyright.

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