Work continues on Copyright Act
Reports that work to patch S92A has ceased are incorrect, says ministerial spokesman
By Stephen Bell, Wellington | Monday, 4 May, 2009
A spokesman in Commerce Minister Simon Power’s office denies government has called a moratorium on further amendments to the Copyright Act.
Work continues to find an acceptable replacement for the abandoned Section 92A, the spokesman says.
The
National Business Review
reported
that government is considering a review of copyright legislation from the ground up and has accordingly terminated any attempts at patching up Section 92A.
That section aimed at making internet service providers responsible for issuing warnings to their users accused of a breach of the Act by illicitly downloading copyright works.
Following lengthy negotiations an attempt to draw up a code of practice for implementing the clause was abandoned earlier this year, but officials were set the task of finding an acceptable substitute.
“Any further ‘band-aid’ approaches to the act will not go ahead, leaving an uncertain period for the [intellectual property] industry until Power begins the reform process,”
NBR
reported. However, the minister’s spokesman insists this is wrong and that officials continue their work on a successor for S92A.
Several industry lobbies, such as InternetNZ have expressed support for a review of copyright law from first principles, but it appears “band-aids” – to use
NBR
’s term – are still the preferred solution for the present.