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Australia To Review Copyright Fair Use
New submitter freddienumber13 writes "The Australian Government has announced a review of the copyright act to look at the provisions of fair use and exceptions with a view towards considering whether or not the law has kept pace with technology and thus if further provisions are required to ensure the act remains relevant and effective."
Don't hold your breath; the committee has until November 30th, 2013 to create their report. Maybe Australians will see their Fair Use rights expanded in a time when it's in fashion to expand copyright protections.
Maybe Australians will see their Fair Use rights expanded in a time when it's in fashion to expand copyright protections.
After spraying my keyboard with Pepsi, I honestly couldn't stop laughing....
Good luck with that.
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After what seems like years of having Europe and America laugh at our foolish ISP filtering proposals, our crazy tech and content prices, maybe... just maybe, we will lead the way and have everyone cheer us instead.
Aussie aussie aussie, free! free! free!
"I split coffee all over my wife's nightie
Considering past news coming from Australia, I wouldn't be surprised if Fair Use became even more restricted after the review.
The file-sharing issue aside, I believe copyrights shouldn't be used like patents on ideas, where mere similarity in plot, character or overall design becomes grounds for suing the developer of another work. For instance, fanfiction should be legalised, where there's a clear distinction between the author of the original work and the author of the derivative.
As an Australian and as a rights holder (who supports CC, fair use, fanfiction, parody/satire, etc) who sees the constant encroachment of the MPAA/RIAA/etc into our legal system, this is only going one way.
Away from expanding Fair Use. Which is a shame.
Check out my sci-fi book "Lacuna" at http://goo.gl/MVxX8
Rule 34, here it comes!
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Rule 34/slashfiction/etc is legally protected assuming it's licensed correctly.
I want to be very clear about that point. I don't necessary have to agree with, or like, whatever someone writes using that document. That's the whole point.
Anyone who uses it does *not* need my approval and even my explicit disapproval will not remove their protection, again, assuming they're following the licence correctly.
Check out my sci-fi book "Lacuna" at http://goo.gl/MVxX8
Good luck with that.
You're new to this government thing, aren't you? In all the decades you have been reading ALRC reports, or the reports of other government appointed inquiries for that matter, when have you ever read "everything is OK as it is, and we have no recommendations?"
Read between the lines of the terms of reference. The ALRC has been asked to "to consider whether existing exceptions are appropriate and whether further exceptions should recognise fair use of copyright material ..." Are existing exceptions anywhere near appropriate, say in ensuring "fair use" such as it might be understood in the US? ALRC is going to have hard time answering that in the affirmative! The further exceptions they are being asked to devise should you know. And they will ...
This is another step towards harmonising our law with that of the US and for a change from all the punitive harmonisations, this will introduce some small measure of freedom. It is well known that the government has for some time wanted to introduce some kind of fair use provision into Australian copyright law. Just don't expect an overly broad one.
Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
How much do you want to bet their conclusions are that "Fair use" is an outdated concept and should be eliminated all together? Seems like a far more likely outcome than anything beneficial.
...one that's balking at climate change, grudgingly promising not stop the National Broadband Network roll out and is portraying gays and dark people asmythical job-stealing closet monsters. So while they're dragging us back to the dark ages, I can totally see them siding with a progressive view of 'fair use'.
More than likely they'll be sticking anyone caught torrenting in the stocks while dirty faced children throw vegetables at them.
you don't live in this century, do you?
There was an unknown error in the submission.
In my opinion, if someone puts in the time and effort to produce something genuinely creative and original that furthers the intellectual state of the human race, they deserve some attention.
I'm going to go read a draft about a universe now...
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
Because the Liberals (Conservatives) were blameless when they agreed to the US Free Trade Agreement that shoehorned US patent and copyright "treaties" into our body of Law.
Conjob doesn't deserve his job, but a change of government would be worse for IT and Technology in this country.
"We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over." - Aneurin Bevan
the committee has until November 30th, 2013 to create their report.
The scope of the inquiry will include the impact of legislative solutions and their consistency with Australia’s international obligations and government reviews and their recommendations, such as the Convergence Review.
Just in time for ACTA (without the EU) and TPP to be finalized. How convenient.
When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
On the whole, IP law in Australia was less restrictive after those changes.
Prior to 2006, for example, you couldn't format-shift music (eg: to rip CDs you owned into MP3s for your iPod) and recording just about anything off TV was copyright infringement.
Due to having to deal with Telstra the Communications Ministry is seen as a punishment post, which is why it has been populated by a string of useless arseholes and why Conroy's enemies in government are convinced that the bastard does deserve the job. Hopefully, now that Telstra isn't being run by a complete psychopath at war with government and shareholders, we'll eventually see a communications minister with enough appreciation of technical matters to be able to operate a toaster, and enough integrity to take responsibility for delays instead of calling press conferences to claim a lesbian cabal is out to sabotage the NBN (Conroy about 3 years back - and no I'm not making that one up, it was about two lawyers that happened to be female taking time to scrutinise contracts).
How do I get to this universe of yours? Sounds like a lovely place.
Well, arguably it did given how long home video recorders and personal audio devices were around before Copyright was appropriately modified.
However, that's moot. At no point did I try to "justify" the FTA, so take your straw man elsewhere.
Stephen Conroy is a douche. Never trust an Australian who doesn't drink.
Indeed- it's well known that he was kicked out of the University of Woolloomooloo for breaking rule #4 (they don't want to catch anybody not drinking). There were also moves to kick him out under rules #1, #3, #5 and #7, but he maintained he wasn't a poofter.
Also, the fact that his name isn't "Bruce" caused too much confusion.
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