Creating a Legal Framework for Copyright Management of Open Access within the Australian Academic and Research Sector

Abstract

There is an increasing recognition, in Australia and internationally, that access to knowledge is a key driver of social, cultural, and economic development. The argument for greater access to, and reuse of, research outputs is reinforced by the fact that much research in Australia is funded by public money and, consequently, that there is a public benefit to be served by allowing citizens to access the outputs they have funded. This recognition poses both legal and policy challenges, in terms of existing legal frameworks such as copyright law and traditional business models.