We’ve completed our submission to the public consultation being conducted by the 
Attorney-General’s Department about online copyright infringement.
Our primary points are:
- there has been no convincing, independent evidence presented that demonstrates that online copyright infringement is any more prevalent in Australia than in comparable countries.
- the proposals contained in the Department’s Discussion Paper (excluding the extension of the safe harbour provisions, which we support) are unlikely to be effective in reducing the rate of online copyright infringement in Australia. On the contrary, they are likely to increase costs for consumers, increase business uncertainty and risk, and will burden the courts with ultimately futile attempts to block overseas websites.
- the proposals for website blocking and extensions of authorisation liability pose a significant threat to privacy and free speech.
Copyright Forum Tuesday 9th September 6.30pm
Tomorrow night, we’ll be attending a public forum convened by the Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, that will discuss the proposals.
There will be a live stream available from here, starting at 6.30pm. We’ll be live-tweeting and you can follow the conversation with the hashtag #CopyrightAU.
Other submissions
You may also be interested in the following submissions from other organisations:
- iiNet
- Pirate Party Australia
- Queensland University of Technology’s IP & Innovation Law research group
- Organization for Transformative Works & Creative Commons Australia [PDF]
- Village Roadshow