New Zealand Acts

COPYRIGHT ACT 1994 - SECT 50

50 Interpretation

1 In sections 51 to 56C , unless the context otherwise requires,—  
"archive" —  

a) means—

i) Archives New Zealand (Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga); or

ii) the National Library; or

iii) the sound archive maintained by Radio New Zealand Limited; or

iv) the film archive maintained by Television New Zealand Limited; or

v) the film archive maintained by the New Zealand Film Archive Incorporated; or

vi) any collection of documents (within the meaning of section 2 of the Official Information Act 1982 ) of historical significance or public interest that is in the custody of and being maintained by a body, whether incorporated or unincorporated, that does not keep and maintain the collection for the purpose of deriving a profit; and

b) includes, in relation only to its holding of public archives (within the meaning of section 4 of the Public Records Act 2005 ), an approved repository within the meaning of that section of that Act

"prescribed library" means—

a) the National Library; or

b) the Parliamentary Service, to the extent that it provides library, information, research, and reference services under section 123(1)(e) of the Parliament Act 2025 ; or

c) every law library provided and maintained under section 375(1) of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 or provided and maintained by the New Zealand Law Society; or

d) a library maintained by an educational establishment, government department, or local authority; or

e) a library of any other class of library prescribed by regulations made under this Act, not being a library conducted for profit.

2 In sections 51 to 56C , every reference to the librarian of a prescribed library or the archivist of an archive shall be read as including a person acting on behalf of the librarian or archivist.

Note: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 s 37(6) (UK)

History: Section 50(1): amended, on 31 October 2008, by section 30 of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).   Section 50(1) archive paragraph (a)(i): substituted, on 21 April 2005, by section 67(1) of the Public Records Act 2005 (2005 No 40).     Section 50(1) archive paragraph (b): substituted, on 21 April 2005, by section 67(1) of the Public Records Act 2005 (2005 No 40).     Section 50(1) prescribed library paragraph (b): replaced, on 13 November 2025, by section 51 of the Parliament (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 63).     Section 50(1) prescribed library paragraph (c): substituted, on 1 August 2008, by section 348 of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 (2006 No 1).     Section 50(1) prescribed library paragraph (c): amended, on 7 July 2010, by section 4 of the Copyright Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 55).     Section 50(2): amended, on 31 October 2008, by section 30 of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).