This profile supplements the Intellectual Property Guide elsewhere on this site. It identifies the major copyright law rulings by courts and tribunals, along with pointers to selected academic studies.

1937 Victoria Park Racing & Recreation Grounds Co Ltd v Taylor - High Court decision

1975 University of New South Wales v Moorehouse and Angus & Robertson - High Court decision on authorisation by authors

1977 Interstate Parcel Express v Time-Life case

1982 Mirror Newspapers Ltd v Queensland Newspapers Ltd - originality (protection for bingo results)

1982 Zeccola v Universal City Studios Pty Ltd - Federal Court decision that reproduction of literary etc work encompasses making sound recording or film

1983 Rank Film Production Ltd v Dodds (trading as Town & Country Motel) - definition of public performance (videos in motel room)

1985 Kalamazoo (Australasia) Pty Ltd v Compact Business Systems Pty Ltd decision - originality (protection for business forms)

1985 Copyright Agency Limited v Department of Education - Copyright Tribunal decision on collecting societies and royalties

1986 APRA v Tolbush - definition of musical performance

1986 Computer Edge v Apple Computer case - High Court decision

1988 Computermate Products (Aust) Pty Ltd v Ozi-Soft Pty Ltd - Federal Court decision on parallel importation

1989 Bulun Bulun v Neljam case - ('t-shirts case') settled out of court

1990 De Garis v Neville Jeffress Pidler - Federal Court decision on employee ownership of copyright

1991 Yumbulul v Reserve Bank of Australia - Federal Court decision on indigenous IP ('banknote case')

1992 Autodesk v Dyason (No 1) - High Court ruling on protection for computer source code and object code

1993 APRA v Commonwealth Bank - Federal Court decision - definition of public performance (instructional video)

1993 Australian Tape Manufacturers Association v Commonwealth - High Court decision rules that 'blank tape levy' is unconstitutional

1994 Erica Vale Pty Ltd v Thompson & Morgan (Ipswich) Ltd - Federal Court decision on originality (protection for instructions on seed packets)

1994 Milpurrurru v Indofurn Pty Ltd - case regarding indigenous IP ('carpets case')

1995 Data Access Corporation v Powerflex Services Pty Ltd - Federal Court decision on software

1995 Robert J Zupanovich Pty Ltd v B&N Beale Nominees Pty Ltd - employee rights

1996 Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Copyright Agency Ltd - originality (published edition copyright)

1996 Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Foxtel Digital Cable Pty Ltd - retransmission

1997 Schott Music International Gmbh v Colossal Record of Australasia Pty Ltd - Federal Court decision on moral rights

1997 Galaxy Electronics v Sega Enterprises Ltd decision - Federal Court regards computer games as 'cinematograph film'

1997 Telstra Corporation Ltd v Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd - High Court decision on transmission right ('music on hold case')

1998 Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd v Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations - unauthorised reproduction of soundtrack as infringement of film copyright

1998 Bulun Bulun v R&T Textiles Pty Ltd - Federal Court decision on indigenous IP ('textiles case')

1999 Copyright Agency Ltd v University of Adelaide - Copyright Tribunal decision on royalty rates

2000 in Microsoft Corp v Business Boost Pty Ltd - High Court decision that copying copyright material to a hard disk or into a computer's RAM is a "reproduction in material form"

2001 'Panel Case' - Federal Court ruling on fair dealing in broadcast television

2002 Desktop Marketing Systems Pty Ltd v Telstra Corporation Limited - Federal Court decision and High Court decision about originality (protection for telephone directories)

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