Copyright Agency and university sector reach agreement on copyright licence fees
February 23, 2023
Universities Australia and Copyright Agency are very pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the copyright fees payable until 2026 and the balance of fees from 2019 to 2022. The agreement also establishes a working party to develop mechanisms for data collection on the copying and sharing of content in the university sector.
Universities Australia CEO Catriona Jackson says:
Universities Australia, acting on behalf of 39 universities, welcomes the agreement that has been reached with the Copyright Agency in relation to the remuneration to be paid for the statutory licence which allows universities to copy works for educational purposes. The settlement brings to an end litigation that was commenced in 2019 and provides for agreed remuneration until 2026. The agreement means that the long running litigation will cease, and the parties will proceed on the basis of a shared desire to build stronger working relations and put in place a monitoring system for the future.
Copyright Agency CEO Jo Johnston says:
I am delighted that we have been able to work constructively with Universities Australia to resolve this long-running dispute. The agreement provides budgeting certainty for both the university sector and for content creators whose content is copied and shared by universities under the education statutory licence scheme. It also means that funds that have been held in escrow since 2019 can now be released to members. Copyright fees are important to our members, and contribute to continued investment in content used in the university sector. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Universities Australia on areas of mutual interest.
Equitable remuneration payable by Universities will be as follows. For the years:
- 2019-2022 – $31 million per year
- 2023-2024 – $28.5 million per year
- 2025-2026 – $27.5 million per year