Copyright Act 1994

Miscellaneous provisions - Copyright management information

226G: Interference with CMI prohibited

You could also call this:

"Don't alter or remove copyright information without permission"

You must not remove or modify any copyright management information attached to a copy of a work. This information is connected to communicating or making available a copy of a work. You can remove or modify it if you have the authority of the copyright owner or the exclusive licensee. You can also remove or modify it if you do not know, and have no reason to believe, that doing so will help someone infringe the copyright in the work. The law says you should not do this without a good reason. It is about protecting the copyright owner's rights. You can find more information about this law in the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Amendment Act 2018. These laws help protect copyright owners. They explain what you can and cannot do with copyright management information.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM1706105.

This page was last updated on 3 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Intellectual property > CopyrightCrime and justice > Criminal law

226F: Meaning of copyright management information, or

"What is copyright management information?"

226H: Commercial dealing in work subject to CMI interference, or

"Selling copies of work with altered copyright information is not allowed in business."

Part 11Miscellaneous provisions
Copyright management information

226GInterference with CMI prohibited

A person (A) must not remove or modify any copyright management information attached to, or appearing in connection with communicating or making available, a copy of a work.
However, subsection (1) does not apply if—
A has the authority of the copyright owner or the exclusive licensee to remove or modify the copyright management information; or
A does not know, and has no reason to believe, that the removal or modification will induce, enable, facilitate, or conceal an infringement of the copyright in the work.

Notes

Section 226G: inserted, on 31 October 2008, by section 90 of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).
Section 226G(1): amended, on 30 December 2018, by section 37E of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Amendment Act 2018 (2016 No 90).