http://law.gov.au/publications/copyrightaus97.htm#anchor386097

1. What is intellectual property?

1.1 'Intellectual property' is intangible property. It is property which cannot be seen or touched. Intellectual property law protects the property in such creative and inventive endeavours. Intellectual property law gives to creators certain exclusive economic rights, generally for a limited time, to deal with their creative works or inventions. This protection encourages further intellectual creativity and innovation as well as enabling access by the community to the products of intellectual property.

1.2 Intellectual property is mainly protected by specific Commonwealth laws. That is, patents, trade marks, designs, circuit layouts, plant breeder's rights and copyright are each protected by a specific Act of Parliament. The framework for these laws is largely based on Australia's obligations under international treaties.

2. What is copyright?

2.1 Copyright is a type of property that is founded on a person's creative skill and labour. It is designed to prevent the unauthorised use by others of a work, that is, the original form in which an idea or information has been expressed by the creator.

2.2 Copyright is not a tangible thing. It is made up of a bundle of exclusive economic rights to do certain acts with an original work or other copyright subject-matter. These rights include the right to copy, publish, broadcast and publicly perform the copyright material.

Copyright versus physical property

2.3 A clear distinction exists between the copyright in a work and the physical ownership of the article in which the work exists. For example, an author may own the copyright in the literary work in a book even though the physical copy of the book may be owned by the person who purchases it. Similarly, the purchaser of an original painting does not have the right to make copies of it. The right of reproduction remains with the artist or other copyright owner.

No copyright in ideas or information

2.4 Copyright does not protect ideas or information as such but only the original expression of ideas or information. Copyright differs fundamentally from patents, trade marks and designs in this way. For example, unlike the grant of a patent which gives monopoly rights over the idea of an invention, the creation of a copyright work does not grant a monopoly over the ideas or information expressed in the work. Rather, rights are granted to the copyright owner over the reproduction (and certain other uses) of the particular expression of ideas or information which has been recorded in a material form.

2.5 Copyright does not prevent the use of the same idea or information. If two people independently create similar works based on the same idea or information, and neither is a copy of the other work, there is no issue of copyright infringement. For example, two artists may set up canvasses in the same spot and paint the same waterfall. Both artists would have copyright in their works and there would be no breach of copyright if the artists do not copy each other's painting.