25 November 2011: Communications Alliance and five of Australia’s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have unveiled a proposed scheme to combat the growing problem of online copyright infringement. The scheme is designed to encourage a sustained and positive change in the behaviour of internet users who engage in online activity that may be an infringement of copyright laws and potentially illegal under the Copyright Act 1968, typically via peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing or unauthorised content downloads. The proposed education-based Notice Scheme flows from discussions held during 2011 between ISPs, the Federal Government and “Rights Holders” – representatives of the movie, music, software, gaming, publishing and other sectors who hold copyright over material that can be accessed online. While those discussions are ongoing and final agreement is yet to be reached, the ISPs have outlined their proposal in a discussion paper available at www.commsalliance.com.au, to further the broader debate on online copyright issues.
Full story and access discussion paper here.