Australian copyright law is a very interesting topic. It has changed over time, along with the Australian government. Nowadays, it is close to other countries' copyright laws and is very complex, with many decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Over time, Australian copyright law has been significantly adapted to fit UK and international copyright law. The first form of copyright created by the English was the Statue of Anne, 1709, which gave weak protection to authors. Not until British copyright law was introduced in Australia in 1928 did it begin to protect sculptures and engravings. Over time it evolved, adding speeches, paintings and photographs. Long before British law was adopted, some colonies (later called states) had their own type of copyright law that could vary from colony to colony. The first copyright statute was passed in a colony of Victoria, Australia. "Parliament, subject to this Constitution, shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth respecting, inter alia, copyright, patents of inventions, designs and trade marks" - Commonwealth Constitution, Section 51 After Australia joined the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Constitution allowed Parliament to make laws for order, peace and good government. As the Australian Constitution also gave this power to Parliament, immediate changes were made. From that moment on, copyright law and all related issues were no longer the responsibility of the states, but of the federal parliament. The first copyright statute to evolve in the hands of federal parliament was the Copyright Act 1905, an adapted version of the British law. Australia became fully party to British copyright law, when it adopted the British Copyright Act, 1911, in 1912. This act remained in force until 1969, when the Australian Copyright Act 1968 came into force. The Copyright Act 1968 it was created after the revision of the 1911 law and apparently did not comply with the Brussels Act of the Berne Convention. Until now, the 1968 law is in force, however some changes have been made. Australian law protects literary works, musical works, films, artistic works, television broadcasts, dramatic works, sound recordings and published editions. Prior to 2004, works entered the public domain 50 years after death, however, after 2006, works remained out of the public domain until 70 years after death. In Australia, copyright does not apply to works published before May 1969. Under the 1968 Act, any work published after the author's death will enter the public domain not 70 years after the author's death, but 70 years after publication. Unpublished literary, dramatic and musical works enjoy unlimited copyright protection. The main exception to copyright in Australia is fair deal (not to be misunderstood as fair use), which allows the use of copyrighted works that fall within the range of purposes. Each type of work varies, but some possibilities are research, study, reporting, reviewing, criticizing, prosecuting, or providing professional legal advice. Some other exceptions fall under private copying. From 2006 onwards, broadcast recordings to be watched or listened to later, copies of sound recordings for home and private use, or copies of newspapers, magazines or literary works for private use. In Australia, it is not.