Is fair use coming to Australia?

This week, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) released a Discussion Paper as part of its review of Australia’s Copyright laws in the context of the Digital Economy. As had been previously indicated, this Discussion Paper recommends the introduction of the principle of fair use into Australia’s copyright regime. As ALRC Commissioner Jill McKeough said […]

Copyright fight heating up in Australia

There’s little sign that the global copyright war will let up any time soon. Wherever you go, the content industries are working hard to secure stronger “protections” for intellectual property and tougher penalties against those who infringe against these protections. Given the forces they can bring to bear – an army of lobbyists and an […]

iiTrial: Federal Court denies AFACT appeal

The decision handed down today by the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia in the “iiNet Appeal” ( Roadshow Films Pty Limited v iiNet Limited [2011] FCAFC 23 (24 February 2011) – online here) is very important in securing the rights of internet users to due process in relation to allegations of copyright […]

EFA urges skepticism on copyright claims

Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) today urged skepticism about claims that piracy is costing thousands of jobs in Australia. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) yesterday released a study,”Economic consequences of movie piracy”, purporting to show that movie downloading is costing the economy over a billion dollars each year. “We question many of the assumptions […]

AFACT copyright study warrants skepticism

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) yesterday released a report entitled “Economic consequences of movie piracy“, which purports to show that illegal downloading is costing the Australian economy $1.37 billion every year. That is an alarming sum – or rather it would be, if we could take it at face value. The copyright industry […]