Copyright Act 1994

Introduction

You could also call this:

"Protecting People's Creative Work"

Illustration for Copyright Act 1994

This law is about copyright. You might wonder what copyright is. It is a law that protects people's work, like books, music, and art. When someone creates something, they own the copyright to it. This means they have control over how their work is used. You can read more about what is protected by copyright in [other parts of the law](link to other section). The law is being updated to make it clearer and easier to understand. This will help people know what they can and can't do with someone else's work. You can find out more about how the law applies to different situations by reading the rest of the law. It explains what happens when someone breaks the copyright rules and what rights the owner of the work has. The law is important because it helps people who create things get the credit and payment they deserve for their work.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM345633.

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Highlights from this law




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1: Short Title and commencement, or

"This law is called the Copyright Act 1994 and it started on 1 January 1995."

Copyright Act 1994

Reprint as at:
2025-11-13
Assent:
1994-12-15
Commencement:
see section 1(2)

The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.


An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to copyright