Australia Welcomes Passing Of The Australian Copyright Amendment Bill

APRA AMCOS has welcomed the passing of the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill through the Senate. In passing the Bill, the Government and Opposition have jointly acknowledged the damage caused by online copyright infringement to Australia’s creative industries, recognizing the mass scale on which illegal downloading occurs and the need to implement efficient and effective ways for right holders to protect their work.

The Bill will enable rights holders to seek injunctions in the Federal Court to block access to overseas websites such as The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents that unlawfully distribute their music.

APRA AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle AM who was involved in a special Senate Committee Hearing to investigate the merits of the Bill has warmly welcomed its passing:

“It will give to creative industries a means to fight back, it will assist in changing the behaviour of Australian consumers and, most importantly, it will send a powerful, practical and symbolic message to the artists and creators of Australia. “Australia’s creative industries have been waiting for a very long time for Parliament to provide an expression of support and respect for their work and their place in the life of the nation.”

APRA AMCOS is satisfied that the new copyright Bill takes into account the need to protect the interests of their 87,000+ Australian and New Zealand songwriter and composer members. The passing of the Bill caps off months of lobbying to the Federal Government and Opposition by a coalition of creative arts and media organisations working together.

Source: APRA AMCOS
Image credit:  Creative Common License