Arts Law Centre of Australia

Arts Law has been funded by the Federal Government’s Indigenous Languages Australia program and is working on a “Digital Deeds” project with First Languages Australia to develop best practice template agreements for language centres to use in contracting with contributors, communities and purchasers to ensure they’re readily accessible for the language centres based throughout the country. These contracts will address the licensing of copyright in the language resources.

Every year around August you will catch 300 young lawyers take over the slopes at Thredbo as part of LAWSKI, an annual three day skiing and social event for lawyers. This year Arts Law was delighted to be selected as the LAWSKI 2019 charity partner.   A range of items were auctioned at the Tyrrell’s Black … Continued

Arts Law senior solicitor, Donna Robinson, accompanied by lawyer Courtney Daunt from Hall & Wilcox travelled to Aurukun on the Gulf of Carpentaria and to Yarrabah, near Cairns during the week beginning 29 July 2019. Courtney was assisting Arts Law as part of Hall & Wilcox’s pro-bono program. The journey involved flying from our home bases in Sydney and Brisbane and then an early morning flight from Cairns to Aurukun and a flight back to Cairns the following afternoon.

This month Arts Law travelled to Darwin for the 13th Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF). On display this year, were the artworks of more than 70 different Indigenous Art Centres from all around Australia. Amongst all this incredible art, was an Arts Law stall, where we handed out information about artists’ legal rights and spoke with a number of interesting artists, art consumers, art centre workers, and tourists. Special thanks to Andrew Leslie who volunteered his time over the weekend.

The City of Sydney has recently released a new policy which distinguishes the cultural expression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from public busking performances.

Arts Law has been working with CAAMA to produce a video that explains our template Artist & Art Centre Agreement in English, as well as 17 First Nations languages.

In October 2018 the Federal Court found that Birubi had made false and misleading representations in breach of the Australian Consumer Law in the sale of souvenir boomerangs, didgeridoos, message stones and bullroarers. Birubi marketed and labelled these products as Australian made and hand painted by Australian Aboriginal persons, when in fact they were made … Continued