Government publications / Public Domain - non U.S.

What about Australian government publications?

[farmboy]

I'm aware that many U.S. government publications are in the public domain. Does anyone know if publications of the Australian government are also in the public domain?

FarmBoy

[Syzygy]

The best place to make an enquiry is with the Australian Govenment Attorney General's [ag.gov.au] office. They have a section dealing specifically with copyright matters. They state:

When do you need permission to use Commonwealth copyright materials?

Permission to use Commonwealth copyright must be obtained in all instances except for those allowed in the Copyright Act 1968. Substantial free usage is provided for under the Act, including reproduction for criticism or review, news reporting, research and private study.

In the broadest of terms, you can use/reproduce many materials freely unless it is for commercial gain. Don't take my word for it though - make contact with them and ask. A simple thing you can also do is look for the copyright link at the bottom of every governmental web page...

Beyond that you may also find the website of the Australian Copyright Council [copyright.org.au] useful.

Syzygy