Permission and exclusions • Copyright Licensing

Permission and exclusions

​Copyright applies to published material including books, journals, newspapers, magazines, art and music – even when the copyright symbol © is not displayed.

Generally, if your copying falls outside of the guidelines, you need to gain advanced permission from the Rightsholder to copy and share their material.

General public

You can make one copy from an original when:

  • it is for your own, personal research or private study
  • you have written permission from the Rightsholder

Educators

For lesson planning, teachers and educators are permitted to:

  • make one full copy of an original
  • make multiple copies from an original of up to 3% or three pages (whichever is greater). The section copied must not giveaway significant information ie. chapter summaries.

If you intend to copy more than what is permitted under the act you have two options: Gain advanced permission from the Rightsholder which can be time-consuming and costly, or choose to get a copyright licence from Copyright Licensing New Zealand which is the smart choice. Find out about our different types of licences.

Works excluded from our licences

Our various licences enable organisations that have licensed with us to copy and share much more than is available under the Copyright Act. But there are exclusions to what can be copied, so make sure you refer to the Copyright Act when copying:

  • Material downloaded from the internet
  • Printed music (including lyrics and sheet music)
  • Loose maps and charts
  • Unpublished religious orders of service
  • House journals and other free publications primarily for employees of commercial businesses, industrial undertakings or public services
  • Illustrations and/or photographs that do not come within the provisions of the licence
  • Privately owned documents issued for tuition purposes and limited to clientele who pay fees
  • Theses, dissertations and student papers
  • Workbooks – publications designed to guide the work of a student, support classroom work, internal assessment and end-of-year revision
  • The copying of an entire play - education institutions that wish to copy entire New Zealand plays, need to licence this through Playmarket.

SPECIFIC EXCLUDED WORKS

From time to time, copyright owners request that their works are to be excluded from our licensing schemes. If you are wanting to copy or share any material listed (that is beyond what is allowed under the Copyright Act), you will need to gain advanced permission from them directly. You can view the current list of specific Excluded Works here >> (pdf). Updated 31 August 2023.

Questions?

For in-depth answers for all your questions, visit our Knowledge Base

Knowledge Base
PTE Licence

PTE Licence

If your PTE (Private Training Establishment) needs to efficiently manage copyright compliance cost and risk, then our PTE Licence is here to help.
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Primary and Secondary Schools Licence

Primary and Secondary Schools Licence

Kiwi schools have important obligations under copyright law. If your school needs a simple, affordable copyright compliance solution, our licence is here to help.
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ITP and Wānanga Licence

ITP and Wānanga Licence

New Zealand’s ITPs and Wānanga have copyright licences to help staff efficiently manage copyright. Learn more about the benefits of your organisation’s licence.
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Universities Licence

Universities Licence

All New Zealand universities hold a copyright licence to help staff efficiently manage copyright. Learn more about the benefits of your Universities Licence here.
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Auction House Licensing scheme

Auction House Licensing scheme

Why do we need to license art?
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Other Visual Arts Licences

Other Visual Arts Licences

Getting permission to use New Zealand art for commercial or promotional purposes isn't always easy.
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Other Copyright Licences

Other Copyright Licences

If your organisation needs a simple, efficient way to manage copyright compliance cost and risk, then a copyright licence is here to help.
Learn more
Permission and exclusions

Permission and exclusions

​Copyright applies to published material including books, journals, newspapers, magazines, art and music – even when the copyright symbol © is not displayed.
Learn more
Knowing what is copied

Knowing what is copied

Knowing what resources have been copied by our licence-holders enables us to then remunerate the clever people who created the work.
Learn more
Resources

Resources

Learn more about our licences
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