“Many activities performed by museums, galleries and libraries raise copyright issues – particularly those involving digital techniques. A cultural institution risks infringing copyright whenever it digitises, or publishes online, a copyright work for whichit is not the copyright owner. This has generated concern for cultural institutions in relation to copyright management: what sort of items are protected by copyright? What sorts of activities infringe copyright? And when is a copyright licence required? In Australia, copyright is governed by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The Copyright Act is a lengthy and complex piece of legislation, and it can be difficult to know where to start in answering these questions. However, there are certain key questions that can assist in navigating the way through copyright law. These are set out in flow chart 1. By working your way through this flow chart, you will be able to determine whether digitisation is likely to infringe copyright, and if so, whether digitisation is permitted by a statutory exception or whether a copyright licence is required. The purpose of these short-form guidelines is to assist staff and volunteers of cultural institutions: Understand the general structure of copyright law; and Identify the circumstances in which digitisation may infringe copyright. Accession No.1682. Watson, J. H. ‘Norman Selfe.The Royal Australian Historical Society Journal and Proceedings, vol. 11, Part 4, 1925, pp. 247-250. Norman Selfe (1839-1911), engineer and designer of the torpedo boats Acheron and Avernus, built for the new South Wales Government by the Atlas Engineering Company of Pyrmont in 1878.