How to Copyright a Song in Australia: What Songwriters Actually Need to Do

If you have searched for how to copyright a song in Australia, here is the short answer: you don’t apply for it. Copyright in your song is free and automatic from the moment you write it down or record it, and there is no government register to join. What you do need is good evidence, because without a register it’s up to you to show that you created the song and when. This guide covers what copyright protects in a song, what APRA AMCOS registration does and doesn’t do, and the practical steps that make your records hard to challenge.

Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, an Australian lawyer and co-founder of TimeBinder, which is mentioned below. This is general information, not legal advice.

The short answer

• You already have copyright once the song is written down or recorded in some form, even a voice memo.
• There is nothing to register with the government. The Attorney-General’s Department says: “There is no formal registration system or specific documentation to prove that you are the creator and owner.”
• Register the song with APRA AMCOS if it is performed, broadcast or streamed, so you can be paid.
• Keep dated evidence of your drafts, recordings and agreements, because if there is ever a dispute, that is what you will rely on.

What copyright protects in a song

A single song can involve several copyrights. APRA AMCOS explains that the lyrics are protected as a literary work, the music as a musical work, and a recording of the song separately as a sound recording. That matters in practice: the person who owns the recording (often whoever paid for it) may not be the person who owns the song.

Copyright protects the expression, not the idea. A chord progression everyone uses, a genre or a song title won’t usually be protected on its own. Your particular melody, lyrics and recording are.

How long it lasts: according to business.gov.au, generally 70 years after the author’s death for works, and 70 years from publication for sound recordings.

Why there is no copyright register in Australia

Australia, like the UK, doesn’t have a copyright register. Protection arises automatically under the Copyright Act 1968. The Attorney-General’s Department goes further and warns that some websites offer to “register” copyright for a fee, and that “these websites have no authority to guarantee copyright protection in Australia”.

To be clear about what TimeBinder is: it is not a copyright registration and doesn’t give you any rights. It creates independent evidence that a specific file existed at a certain time. That is a different and more modest thing, and it is useful precisely because there is no register to rely on.

A copyright notice such as “© 2026 Your Name” is not required, but the Attorney-General’s Department calls it “sound practice” because it tells people who owns the work.

Who owns the copyright

Generally the songwriter or composer is the first owner. There are important exceptions. APRA AMCOS notes that if you create music or lyrics as part of your employment, your employer is usually the first owner. And when you co-write, each writer owns a share, so you should agree the shares in writing. Our free Split Sheet Generator creates a simple split sheet PDF you can fill in at the end of a session and get everyone to sign.

APRA AMCOS registration is about royalties, not ownership

APRA AMCOS puts it plainly: “Copyright and registration are two separate things.” Registering a work with them, through the Writer Portal or the app, is what makes the song eligible to earn royalties when it is played, performed or streamed. Their guide to registering a song asks for the title, performer, duration, ISRC, co-writers and the agreed splits, which must total 100%.

Do it, and do it early. But an APRA AMCOS registration is a royalty record, not proof that you wrote the song first or that your version came before someone else’s.

How to build evidence that you wrote it, and when

If a dispute arises, APRA AMCOS’s own FAQ says you “need to be able to prove that you created the work”, and that the best evidence is “early drafts or recordings of the work as well as diaries detailing its development”. The weakness of that kind of evidence is that it’s easy to question. File dates can be changed, metadata can be edited, and an email to yourself only shows when an email was sent.

Here is how to make it stronger:

1. Keep the drafts. Voice memos, lyric notebooks (photograph the pages), early bounces and DAW project files. Don’t overwrite them.
2. Timestamp the key versions. A blockchain timestamp records each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint on the Bitcoin blockchain, showing the exact file existed no later than that time and making any later change detectable. With TimeBinder, files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded, and one TimeBind can include up to 10 files. Good moments to TimeBind are the first full demo, the agreed split sheet, and any version you send to someone else. See our music copyright proof page for how it works for songwriters.
3. Log who you send it to. Note the date, the person and the exact file. Our guide to protecting your music before you send it has a full checklist.
4. Keep originals unchanged and backed up in at least two places. A timestamp check only works against the identical file.

None of this proves authorship on its own. What it gives you is an early, independently verifiable date for each step, which makes the rest of your story much harder to dispute.

If your music is released overseas

Australian works are protected in most countries through international copyright treaties, without registration. The US is the one place where registration can make a big difference. The US Copyright Office says registration is required before suing over a “U.S. work”, and registration timing affects the remedies available in a US case. If your songs are earning in the US, or you are signing a US deal, ask a lawyer whether US registration is worth it for your catalogue. The fees are modest (see the fee schedule).

A simple checklist for every new song

When	Do this
Idea stage	Record a voice memo or write it down; keep it
End of a co-writing session	Fill in and sign a split sheet
First full demo	TimeBind the demo, lyrics and split sheet together
Before sending to anyone	TimeBind the exact file and log the send
Before release	Register the work with APRA AMCOS; add a © notice
US release or deal	Ask a lawyer about US Copyright Office registration

TimeBinder’s Free plan includes one Pooled TimeBind a month. A single Pooled TimeBind costs $5 and a single ASAP TimeBind, recorded in its own Bitcoin transaction and verifiable without TimeBinder, costs $15, each covering up to 10 files. Monthly plans start at $20. See pricing.

AI can rewrite files. It can’t rewrite time. There is no copyright register in Australia, so make your own record of what you created and when.

TimeBind Files Now →

This article is general information, not legal advice. Sources were checked on 24 October 2026.