JI CLT Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology Vol.9, No.4 (2014) 258 A Cobweb of Exception to Copyright Law for Research Purposes Ratnaria Wahid School of International Studies College of Law, Government and International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia ratnaria@uum.edu.my Khadijah Mohamed School of Law College of Law, Government and International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia khadijah@uum.edu.my Abstract. Access to copyrighted materials and resources for research purposes have been increasingly conducted across borders. In certain circumstances, access to copyright materials that may be needed for research purposes may be restricted due to copyright law. International copyright conventions do provide exceptions to copyright law for research purposes as what has been generally covered under the WKUHH VWHS WHVW¶ +RZHYHU WKLV UXOH PD\ EH LQWHUSUHWHG HLWKHU QDUURZO\ RU flexibly by member countries, which leads to different countries adapting different laws pertaining to it. This paper analyses the Malaysian copyright provision relating to copyright exceptions that may be used for research purposes and its recent amendments made in 2012 as compared to Australia and the United Kingdom provisions. This paper will discuss the implications of the recent amendment and further explains the future direction researchers could take to ensure the legality of their actions when using copyrighted materials for research purposes. 1. Introduction A work created or authored, whether entertainment or informational is no longer confined to a single jurisdiction, but can be easily disseminated around the world WKURXJK WKH ,QWHUQHW ,Q WRGD\¶V globalized world, materials and resources available in other jurisdictions may be highly relevant to another person across the world. Apart from private individuals, various multinational corporations produce, distribute content and often operate their businesses across national borders. In addition to this, collaborative projects and research cooperation between higher education institutions in various countries have constantly been designed, funded and developed.