Universities Australia appeals Copyright Tribunal decision

6.07.22

The ASA recently reported on the outcome of the case before the Copyright Tribunal involving Copyright Agency and Universities Australia and welcomed the decision made by the Tribunal to ensure that creators continue to be remunerated fairly for the copyright materials they produce. Universities Australia has now sought judicial review of this decision and we will wait to see the outcome of this appeal process.

We are disappointed about this for two reasons. Firstly, because while the matter is pending, distribution funds continue to be held in escrow, which means that our members are kept waiting for payment. Secondly, because the decision of Universities Australia to dispute the rate to be paid to authors and publishers, in our view, highlights an underlying reluctance to properly value intellectual property.

At a time when authors are doing it tough, it is disappointing that Universities Australia has decided to protract legal proceedings to argue for lower licence fees. Our writers are the backbone of education, study, research and critical thought and, indeed, many ASA members work at universities. We strongly feel that individual creators cannot be asked to subsidise the cost of education and have their compensation whittled away.

We support Copyright Agency's fight for fair remuneration for authors and publishers and will keep you updated on any developments.