The Copyright Society reports that Senator Brandis (the Commonwealth Attorney-General) has confirmed to the Senate that:
- the ALRC did submit its final report on Copyright in the Digital Economy on Monday; and
- the ALRC has recommended:
It has recommended the introduction of a flexible fair-use exception as a defence to copyright infringement. It has also recommended retaining and reforming some of the existing specific exemptions and introducing certain new specific exemptions; amending the act to clarify the statutory licensing scheme; limiting the remedies available for copyright infringement to encourage the use of orphaned works; reforming broadcasting exemptions and amending the act to limit contracting-out terms.
According to the ALRC, it received over 860 submissions and anticipates that the Final Report will be tabled in Parliament within 15 sitting days after its delivery.
Senator Brandis indicated the Government would respond in the New Year.
In response to a further question, Senator Brandis re-affirmed the Government’s commitment to “the content industries” and stated:
It is the government’s strong view that the fundamental principles of intellectual property law, which protect the rights of content creators, have not changed merely because of the emergence of new media and new platforms. The principles underlying intellectual property law and the values which acknowledge the rights of creative people are not a function of the platform on which that creativity is expressed. The principles did not change with the invention of the internet and the emergence of social media. So in this changing digital world, the government’s response to the ALRC report will be informed by the view that the rights of content owners and content creators ought not to be lessened and that they are entitled to continue to benefit from their intellectual property.
Read the Copyright Society’s report here.
Update:
Zdnet reads Senator Brandis’ remarks as indicating the Government will not adopt the ALRC’s recommendations.
Lid dip: Peter Clarke, barrister
