Federal Court decision highlights need for flexible right of fair use in Copyright Act
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) believes today’s judgement by the full bench of the Federal Court in relation to the Optus TV Now service clearly demonstrates the need for a flexible right of fair use to be introduced to the Copyright Act. The Optus TV Now service is a cloud-based offering available to Optus mobile subscribers […]
Planned US anti-piracy laws a draconian mess
By Kim Heitman, EFA Secretary The battle over proposed anti-piracy bills in the US is not just about Hollywood versus the internet, it is a fight between the past and the future. It also throws up a real danger that the laws could become an easy way to silence critics. Internet sites such as Wikipedia, […]
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 […]
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 […]