[H-GEN] AUSTRALIA LEADS THE WAY ON COPYRIGHT REFORM

[Russell Stuart]

A press release today from the Australia Federal
government in which they announce the House of
Representatives has passed the Copyright bill:

http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/MinisterRuddockHome.nsf/Page/Media_Releases_2006_Fourth_Quarter_2272006_-_6_December_2006_-_Australia_leads_the_way_on_Copyright_Reform

Some of you may recall Paul (Rusty) Russell giving
a talk on this issue a while ago.

Here is my (probably biased) summary of the press release.

Extract from the "Frequently Asked Questions":

   Do these amendments mean I can record my
   favourite television or radio program to
   enjoy later? ....................................... yes

   Do these amendments mean I can record my favourite
   television or radio program to enjoy later? ........ yes

   Can I record a program from pay-television? ........ yes

   Will I be able to copy my music collection
   onto my iPod? ...................................... yes

   Can I copy a music download to a CD or MP3 player? . yes

   What if my CD has copy protection applied to it?

     You cannot circumvent an access control technological
     protection measure (TPM) on a CD or music file to make
     a format-shift copy.  However, most CDs and all vinyl
     records, do not have TPMs. Most record manufacturers
     still do not apply TPMs to their CDs.

Translation:

   You know all those "yes"'s above?  Well they were
   really only "yes"'s if the publisher implicitly agreed
   to it by not adding a TPM. Otherwise they were actually
   "no"'s.  If, as expected, most publishers now add TPM's,
   you are no longer allowed to do any of the things listed
   above and on the spot fines apply.

   This only really effects CD's and radio.  DVD's, digital
   TV, electronic books, computer games, downloaded music
   (eg iTunes), cable television, and so on already contain
   TPM's.  So all those "yes"'s above are now illegal for
   those things.  The government is currently planning to
   mandate the replacement of analogue TV by its digital
   counterpart (which has TPM) by 2010.