Volume 9 Issue 1

Simplification of the exceptions to the exclusive rights comprising copyright

Peter Treyde*

The Copyright Law Review Committee (CLRC) has completed its work on simplification of the Copyright Act 1968. The first area identified for inquiry by the CLRC was the exceptions to copyright owner’s rights. This paper gives an overview of the CLRC’s recommendations, contained in its report on Part I of its reference to simplify the Copyright Act.

The CLRC has made recommendations and proposals with respect to the following exceptions: fundamental exceptions (particularly fair dealing), public interest exceptions (particularly library and archive copying) and other exceptions (including educational copying and copying for people with disabilities). In its review, the CLRC focused heavily on the necessity of simplifying these exceptions so that they can be easily applied in the digital environment.