New Zealand announces amendments to copyright law
23 July 2026
The government of New Zealand recently announced the introduction of amendments to the Copyright Act 1994. The amendments aim to align New Zealand’s laws with those of other developed countries and update these to comply with Free Trade Agreements with the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Among these updates are the following:
- Extend the protection of copyright and related rights by 20 years to 70 years from the creator’s death or 70 years from publication
- Extend resale royalty rights for visual artists by 20 years
- Extend the protection given to digital locks (technological protection measures) to include preventing a person undertaking an act to circumvent those locks other than in limited circumstances
- Provide means to preserve and provide access to gallery, library, archive and museum (GLAM) collections by allowing use of orphan works, making digital copies for preservation and access and applying current research and private study copying rules across all GLAM organizations, among others
- Provide courts with a framework to order internet service providers to block access to overseas websites that infringe on the copyright of New Zealand creators, building a stronger guardrail against offshore piracy
- Enable copyright licensing organizations to take collective action on behalf of copyright owners to prevent infringement
- Clarify that the first distribution right is only exhausted where the copyright owner has consented to the overseas sale of copies, supporting control over parallel imports of infringing copies
- Change the default rule for commissioned works so that creators, not the commissioning party, are the first copyright owners unless agreed otherwise.
Elena Szentiványi | director @ Henry Hughes IP, Wellington
“These changes strengthen the rights of creators and copyright owners by providing both greater and longer protection. The longer term of protection may have a cooling effect on creativity in New Zealand, but the digitization of GLAM collections will increase engagement and the preservation of the works. While this may not counterbalance the longer copyright term, it will ensure that a larger body of works are available for use and access,” said Elena Szentiványi, director at Henry Hughes IP in Wellington.
At the same time, the Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill is currently before the New Zealand Parliament’s Select Committee. The bill introduces a fair dealing exception to infringement for parodies and satires of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work.
“Providing for a fair dealing exception for infringement for parody and satire modernizes New Zealand law and brings it in line with the law in many other jurisdictions. The new parody and satire fair dealing exception will not affect authors’ moral rights. This means that authors of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works maintain their right to be identified as the author and can object to derogatory treatment of the work and to false attribution of identity as the author,” Szentivanyi explained.
However, she added that two issues remain in the “too hard basket.” One of these is that these proposed changes do not advance protection of Māori cultural and traditional knowledge. “It is disappointing that law changes swiftly following international agreements but does not protect indigenous knowledge,” she lamented.
Another item in the basket, for Szentivanyi, is the failure to address copyright protection in relation to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). She said the range and use of GenAI tools is growing, yet the government prefers a wait-and-see approach.
The amendments in relation to the Free Trade Agreements are expected to be enacted by May 1, 2028, to comply with the agreements.
Meanwhile, the Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill will be with the Select Committee until October 1, 2026.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
