Slashdot Mirror
Draconian Anti-Piracy Law Looms Over Australia
ccozan writes to tell us of a law being rushed through the Australian legislature that would criminalize great swaths of the citizenry. The Internet Industry Association of Australia is posting warning scenarios spelling out how far-reaching this law would be. From the release: "A family who holds a birthday picnic in a place of public entertainment (for example, the grounds of a zoo) and sings 'Happy Birthday' in a manner that can be heard by others, risks an infringement notice carrying a fine of up to $1,320. If they make a video recording of the event, they risk a further fine for the possession of a device for the purpose of making an infringing copy of a song... The US Free Trade Agreement does not require Australia to go down this path, and neither US nor European law contain such far-reaching measures. We are at a total loss to understand how this policy has developed, who is behind it and why there is such haste in enacting it into law — with little if any public debate."
This is one of the only times that I'm proud to be an American.
I was contemplating moving to Australia to, but with England's nanny cams and this new law it looks like my english language options are pretty much shot.
~= scwizard =~
I'm all for this, if it stops those guys with loud car stereo systems driving past, with subwoofers nearly blowing their rear windscreens off. Totally obnoxious!
If it also stops people singing Happy Birthday in public, often badly, then that's just a bonus.