Australian Government intellectual property rules

Government use of IP

IP is very valuable. The Australian Government IP Rules provide guidance on how Australian government agencies should manage their IP, and how different types of IP should be used.

The IP rules also contain information about:

  • parts of government contracts and agreements that are about IP
  • publication and licensing of government information
  • Government use of copyright material.

Statement of IP Principles

The Statement of IP Principles outlines how agencies should manage their IP. It applies to a range of activities including procurement, record keeping, industry development, innovation and public access.

The Statement of IP Rules is published below. If you have questions about how the Australian Government IP rules apply to your agency, contact us.

Australian Government IP Rules

These Principles, together with the guidance documents below, make up the Australian Government IP rules:

  • Australian Government Intellectual Property Manual
  • Guidelines for licensing Public Sector Information (PSI) for Australian Government Agencies
  • Sample model contract clauses
  • Explanatory material about the new policy and the model contract clauses
  • Licensing and use of Commonwealth material.

The Australian Government Intellectual Property Manual and Guidelines for licensing Public Sector Information are published below. For a copy of the remaining guidance documents as well as a Quick Guide to Government IP Rules please contact us.

If you want to use Australian Government copyright material, you need to get permission from the agency that published it.