Copyright Licence for Local Governments

Councils regularly access, receive, share, retain and reuse third-party content. This may include reports,
media content, research, industry publications and online resources. Without appropriate permission or licensing, common day-to-day activities involving this content may create copyright risk.

Text and images protected by copyright may include:

news and magazine articles
journal articles and research reports
books and industry publications
website content and online resources

Research conducted by independent market research agency FiftyFive5* found:

2 out of 3 white-collar workers regularly access published content in their role, often downloading, copying and sharing it.
64% of white-collar workers use GenAI tools
59% copy and paste news items into AI prompts
83% cite compliance risk as key concerns
59% would have greater peace of mind if their organisation had a copyright licence that allowed use of third-party content in AI tools for work

What is a Copyright Licence for Local Government?

Copyright Agency’s Licence is a blanket licence that allows Councils to copy, store, share and use published content without needing to obtain
permission from individual copyright owners.

The licence covers common workplace activities involving third-party content, including:

organisation-wide copying and internal sharing rights for digital, online and print content, including newspapers, magazines, journals, books, websites and other published works
use of Australian newspaper and selected licensed content in GenAI tools and workflows
sharing Australian newspaper content and AIgenerated outputs externally
use of AI-generated outputs in internal and external reporting, communications and collaboration workflows, including summaries, briefings, white papers and partner communications
use of published content in council reports, briefing
papers and committee materials
use of third-party content in staff training, education and internal knowledge-sharing activities
storage and retention of published content for governance, compliance and record-keeping purposes
additional rights beyond media monitoring licences, including content copied directly from websites and other published sources

Local Government is not defined or referred to as being under the Crown within the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). As a result, Councils are not covered by the statutory licence arrangements in place under s183 between Copyright Agency and the Commonwealth, and the States and Territories. Councils are therefore required to obtain a licence or permission to copy and share third-party content.

Support responsible AI use in Council workflows

Generative AI tools are increasingly being used across Council workflows for research, drafting, analysis and communications. Staff may upload documents, paste articles into prompts and use AI-generated outputs
in operational activities. The Copyright Licence for Local Government enables Councils to use high-quality published content in GenAI tools, with permissions in place to support compliant AI use.

Use Australian newspaper content in GenAI tools
Use selected journal, book and trade publication
content
Share AI-generated outputs internally and externally

Why Councils use the licence

One agreement covering millions of published works relevant to Council activities

Supports the compliant sharing and reuse of published content across Council functions
Supports the responsible and compliant use of content in GenAI tools
Reduces copyright, governance and reputational risk associated with content sharing and AI workflows
Avoids the need to negotiate permissions with individual copyright owners
Helps manage copyright obligations associated with content received and retained across records systems, collaboration platforms and Council systems
Supports efficient Council workflows involving published content

Key benefits to your business

Efficiency

Supports everyday workflows involving content sharing and GenAI use
Governance

Supports governance, compliance and responsible AI use across Council operations
Flexibility

One licence covers copyright material from millions of sources
Peace of mind

Reduces risk of infringement claims and reputational harm
Learning and innovation

Access to copyright training and educational resources

*FiftyFive5 research on third-party content and GenAI use
** This fact sheet is a guide only. Limitations apply to website and social media use of outputs. Refer to the licence agreement for full terms and conditions.

The Federal Government also provides some guidance for businesses who use copyright materials:
Attorney General’s Department
Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS)