Ownership of copyright is generally held:

There are some important exceptions to the general rule:

It is important to note that the general rule and the exceptions can be changed by agreement or assignment [ss 35(3),97(3),98(3),179]. So, for instance, a person who commissions a private or domestic photograph may sign an agreement that the photographer owns the copyright. Copyright ownership may also be assigned in writing. For this reason it is unwise to assume that the owner will be the creator of the work in question or the creator’s employer. Ownership should be checked in each particular case.

Copyright law recognises that works may be made by more than one person. These are works of joint authorship and copyright in such works is often jointly owned. For a work to be jointly owned the contributions of each author must not be distinguishable. If various authors contribute separate parts they are not joint authors, but each own the copyright in their contribution.

For more information, see the information sheet on Ownership of Copyright produced by the Australian Copyright Council.