International conferences and copyright

Presenting at international conferences will have copyright implications for all members of the QUT community (academics, researchers, professional staff and students) who may be unfamiliar with how copyright law works outside of Australia.

There is no such thing as an international copyright law. Conference presenters must adhere to the copyright laws of the conference host country. Best practice is to consult the conference organisers about what copyright obligations may be in that country.

International copyright agreements and treaties provide some basic guidance and common principles upon which to act. One important treaty is the Berne Convention which provides common standards of copyright protection for member countries. 180 countries have ratified this treaty, which is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Useful websites:

More information

The University of Melbourne has a guide to Presenting at a conference which includes useful information about copyright for conference presenters and organisers.