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Copyright Act 1994

Description, ownership, and duration of copyright - Description of copyright

14: Copyright in original works

You could also call this:

"What is copyright for new and original works?"

Illustration for Copyright Act 1994

You have a property right called copyright in original works like literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic works. This also includes sound recordings, films, communication works, and typographical arrangements of published editions. You can find more information about the changes to this law in the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008. You do not own the copyright if your work is a copy of another work or if it infringes the copyright of another work. This means your work must be unique and not copied from someone else.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM345921.

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Part 1Description, ownership, and duration of copyright
Description of copyright

14Copyright in original works

  1. Copyright is a property right that exists, in accordance with this Act, in original works of the following descriptions:

  2. literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic works:
    1. sound recordings:
      1. films:
        1. communication works:
          1. typographical arrangements of published editions.

            1. A work is not original if—

            2. it is, or to the extent that it is, a copy of another work; or
              1. it infringes the copyright in, or to the extent that it infringes the copyright in, another work.

                1. Repealed
                Compare
                • 1962 No 33 ss 7(1), 13(1), 14(1), 15(1), 17(1)
                Notes
                • Section 14(1): substituted, on , by section 11(1) of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).
                • Section 14(3): repealed, on , by section 11(2) of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).