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COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 127 Presumptions in relation to authorship of work

COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 127

Presumptions in relation to authorship of work

  (1)   Where a name purporting to be that of the author of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work appeared on copies of the work as published or a name purporting to be that of the author of an artistic work appeared on the work when it was made, the person whose name so appeared, if it was his or her true name or a name by which he or she was commonly known, shall, in an action brought by virtue of this Part, be presumed, unless the contrary is established, to be the author of the work and to have made the work in circumstances to which subsections   35(4), (5) and (6) do not apply.

  (2)   Where a work is alleged to be a work of joint authorship, the last preceding subsection applies in relation to each person alleged to be one of the authors of the work as if references in that subsection to the author were references to one of the authors.

  (3)   Where, in an action brought by virtue of this Part   in relation to a photograph:

  (a)   it is established that, at the time when the photograph was taken, a person was the owner of the material on which the photograph was taken or, if the ownership of that material as at that time is not established, that a person was the owner of the apparatus by which the photograph was taken; or

  (b)   neither the ownership as at the time when the photograph was taken of the material on which it was taken nor the ownership as at that time of the apparatus by which it was taken is established but it is established that, at the time of the death of a person, the photograph was owned by the person or, if the ownership of the photograph as at that time is not established, was in the possession or custody of the person;

the person shall be presumed, unless the contrary is established, to have been the person who took the photograph.

  (4)   However, if the owner of the material or apparatus was a body corporate, then paragraph   (3)(a) only applies if the presumption is required to determine the ownership of the copyright in the photograph.

Note:   For example, the presumption does not apply if it is required to determine the duration of the copyright in the photograph.