About Us

You have probably used the words “approve” and “endorse” in the same breath before. Most people have. And most people, if pressed, would struggle to explain why one fits a situation and the other does not. It is one of those quiet little language traps that catches even sharp writers off guard. In casual conversation, swapping one for the other rarely causes a scene. But in a boardroom, a legal document, a political campaign, or even a well-crafted piece of writing, the difference between these two words is not just academic. It is the difference between giving someone permission and putting your name behind them. Between ticking a box and staking your reputation. Get it wrong in the wrong place, and you are looking at anything from a mildly embarrassing email to a genuine legal headache. This guide exists to put that confusion to rest. By the time you reach the end, you will understand not just the meaning of endorsed and the meaning of approved, but why the distinction matters, how to choose the right word every single time, and what the real-world consequences look like when someone picks the wrong one. Whether you are a student polishing an essay, a professional drafting a contract, or a writer who simply wants to get it right, this one is for you. Defining ‘Approve’: Permission, Sanction, and Formal Acceptance Understanding the Core Meaning of ‘Approve’ “The action of approving something” At its bones, to approve something is to formally accept it. It is to say, “Yes, this meets the standard. This can go ahead.” There is an inherent sense of authority baked into the word. Someone who approves something typically has the power, the jurisdiction, or the designated role to do so. Think of it this way. When your manager approves your leave request, they are not saying they are excited about your holiday plans. They are saying the request meets the criteria, and they are granting permission. That is approval in its purest form. It is institutional. It is procedural. It is often the final step before something officially moves forward. The word itself traces back to the Latin “approbare,” which means “to test” or “to sanction.” That etymology tells you everything. Approval has always been tied to evaluation, to measuring something against a set of standards and deciding it passes. It is less about enthusiasm and more about clearance. According to both the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, approve carries connotations of consent, validation, authorisation, and formal agreement. It is the green light. The rubber stamp. The nod from the person whose nod actually counts. Key Characteristics of Approval There are a few things that set approval apart from other forms of agreement. First, it almost always requires authority. You cannot approve something if you do not have the standing to do so. A random colleague cannot approve your expense report. Your neighbour cannot approve a development application. The word carries weight precisely because it implies that the person doing the approving has been entrusted with that power. Second, approval is often tied to compliance. Something gets approved because it meets specific criteria, regulations, or benchmarks. A loan gets approved because the applicant’s financials check out. A building plan gets approved because it satisfies council requirements. The focus is on whether the thing in question measures up. Third, the outcome of approval is concrete. It results in official acceptance, permission granted, or a formal change in status. Once something is approved, it can proceed. Before that, it cannot. The line is clean. Examples of ‘Approve’ in Context To really grasp how approval works, it helps to see it in action across different settings. In government and legal contexts, approval is everywhere. A city council approves a new zoning ordinance after reviewing whether it aligns with urban planning guidelines. A judge approves a settlement in a court case, formally accepting the terms both parties have agreed to. In these settings, the word carries legal force. If you are navigating something like copyright for your creative work, understanding the formal approval process matters. You can learn more about protecting your work through resources on how to copyright a book in Australia. In business and organisational settings, approval is the machinery that keeps things moving. A manager approves an employee’s leave request. The board of directors approves the annual budget. A bank approves a loan application after assessing risk and creditworthiness. Each of these involves someone with designated authority evaluating something against established criteria and giving the formal go-ahead. In personal and everyday usage, the word softens slightly but keeps its core meaning. Parents approving their child’s choice of university are giving their consent and acceptance, even if the decision ultimately rests with the child. A head chef approving a new menu item after tasting it is confirming it meets the restaurant’s standards. And then there are product and safety standards. When you see “FDA approved” or “TGA approved” on a product, that means a regulatory body has evaluated it against safety and efficacy standards and determined it passes. It does not mean they love it. It means it meets the bar. Defining ‘Endorse’: Support, Recommendation, and Public Backing Understanding the Core Meaning of ‘Endorse’ Declare one’s public approval or support of. Now let us shift gears. To endorse something is a different beast entirely. Where approval is about permission and compliance, endorsement is about support and recommendation. It is personal. It is reputational. When you endorse something, you are putting your name next to it and saying, “I believe in this.” The endorsement meaning runs deeper than most people realise. The word comes from the Latin “in dorsum,” meaning “on the back.” Historically, to endorse a document was to sign the back of it, physically putting your name on it to transfer ownership or give assent. That image is useful. To endorse is to literally back something. You are standing behind it. Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary define endorse

So you’ve written a book. Or you’re close to finishing one. Either way, at some point the question creeps in: is my work actually protected? Can someone copy it? What happens if they do? And do I need to register anything, pay anyone, or fill out a form? Here’s the good news. In Australia, copyright protection is automatic. The moment your original work is created and written down, typed up, or recorded in some fixed form, it’s protected. No registration. No fees. No government portal to navigate. Your book is yours the second it exists. But automatic doesn’t mean invincible. Copyright is a legal right, and like any right, you need to understand it to enforce it. What it covers, how long it lasts, who actually owns it when a team of people is involved, what happens when someone else quotes your work or adapts it without permission, and how you actually protect yourself before and after publication. These are the details that most authors either gloss over or find out about too late. This blog is here to fix that. Whether you’re a first-time author just finishing your manuscript or someone who’s been self-publishing for a few years and wants to get serious about protecting their work, this guide covers everything you need to know about copyright in Australia in plain, practical terms. And if you’re working with Melbourne Print and Publish on getting your book into the world, understanding copyright is one of the most important foundations you can have going in. What is Copyright? Copyright is a legal protection that gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights over how that work is used. In practical terms, that means only you, the author, can copy your book, publish it, sell it, adapt it into another format, or authorise someone else to do any of those things. In Australia, copyright law is governed by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Under this legislation, copyright applies automatically to original literary works, which includes novels, short story collections, poetry, non-fiction, eBooks, screenplays, and pretty much anything that involves original written expression. You don’t apply for it. You don’t pay for it. You simply create the work, and the protection attaches. What copyright gives you specifically is a bundle of exclusive rights: The right to reproduce the work (print copies, digital copies, translations) The right to publish and distribute it The right to perform or broadcast it publicly The right to adapt it into another work (a film, an audiobook, a stage production) The right to communicate it to the public online Anyone who exercises any of these rights without your permission is infringing your copyright. And Australian law gives you legal recourse when that happens. The critical word throughout all of this is original. Copyright doesn’t protect ideas, facts, concepts, or information on their own. It protects the specific original expression of those ideas. Two authors can write books about the same subject, the same historical event, the same type of character. What neither of them can do is copy the other’s actual words, sentences, chapters, or structure. How Long Does Copyright Last in Australia? This is where a lot of authors get vague, and it’s worth being precise. In Australia, copyright in a literary work lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. So if you write and publish a novel in 2026 and you pass away in 2055, your book remains under copyright protection until 2125. That’s a long time, and it matters for your estate, your family, and anyone you choose to leave your rights to. When there are multiple authors, the 70-year period runs from the death of the last surviving author. So if you co-write a book with someone and they outlive you by 15 years, copyright extends 70 years beyond their passing, not yours. There are some exceptions worth knowing: Anonymous or pseudonymous works where the author’s identity isn’t publicly known are protected for 70 years from the date of publication. Works created by employees as part of their employment may be owned by the employer, not the individual author, and the duration rules can vary. Works that are in the public domain (where copyright has expired or was never held) can be freely used without permission. This is why you can freely reprint Shakespeare or Jane Austen. Alongside copyright, Australian law also protects what are called moral rights. These are separate from economic rights and can’t be sold or transferred. They include the right to be attributed as the author of your work, and the right to protect the integrity of your work, meaning you can object to changes or uses that would be prejudicial to your honour or reputation. Moral rights last for the same duration as copyright. Can You Copyright the Title of a Book? This surprises a lot of authors. The short answer is no. Book titles are generally not protected by copyright in Australia. A single title is considered too short and too minimal to qualify as an original literary work in its own right. This means that technically, another author could publish a book with the same title as yours without infringing your copyright. In practice, publishers try to avoid this because it creates market confusion, but legally, there’s nothing stopping it. If you’ve created a series and you want the series title or your brand name protected, the better route is trademark registration through IP Australia. Trademarks protect brand identifiers, logos, names, and series titles used in commerce. It’s a different process from copyright and involves a fee and application, but it gives you exclusive rights to that branding in the marketplace. Are Book Covers Copyrighted? Yes, and this is something worth understanding clearly. Your book cover is a separate copyrightable work from the text of your book. The illustration, the photograph, the graphic design, the typographic layout, each of these elements can be independently protected. What this means in practice is that if