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Customer warnings next step in battle to curb piracy

ISPs may be asked to issue piracy warnings to customers, and block sites where content can be illegally downloaded,

online_piracyAttorney-General George Brandis may ask internet providers to issue warnings to customers, or block sites where content can be illegally downloaded, in a bid to curb online piracy in Australia.

“This may include looking carefully at the merits of a scheme whereby ISPs are required to issue graduated warnings to consumers who are using websites to facilitate piracy,” he said.

“Another option that some stakeholders have raised with me is to provide the Federal Court with explicit powers to provide for third party injunctions against ISPs, which will ultimately require ISPs to ‘take down’ websites hosting infringing content.”

Copyright holders like film and television studios have argued that it is ISPs’ role to prevent internet users from illegally downloading their content.

But in a landmark ruling in 2012, the High Court found provider iiNet was not responsible for its customers’ illegal activities.

ISPs say studies show such schemes where customers are given increasingly severe warnings don’t work.

The Australian Screen Association, which represents film and television studios and distributers, says it backs the measures proposed by Senator Brandis.

Foxtel recently confirmed it has secured the Australian rights to Game of Thrones next season, leaving it unavailable for legal download via iTunes. But the news had led to anger in social media and even some media were criticising the move by the Pay TV provider.

Source: ABC

36 Responses

  1. its not gonna do anything , people will do what they do in china and use a vpn. you can just get a vpn in singapore or new zealand and u wont even barely notice your speed being impacted cause the regions are so close

    all it will do is block access for people who don’t know anything about computers trying to access those places.

    you can get a vpn in new zealand or singapore and u wont even notice a difference in your internet speed cause the regions are so close.

    its all part of us free trade agreement this government is no better than the last , they where against the internet filter when labour wanted to bring it in now they are in power they want to bring it in themselves , same shti as gillard with the carbon tax

  2. Networks and DVD release people should talk to each other and offer content that they are not going to show anytime soon and offer it legally via download or DVD release at a reasonable price.

    For instance I see that White Collar Series 4 is due for release in June a full year after it has been on TV.

  3. Here’s a though:
    The coalition government is pulling the plug on the 100Mbit NBN & have come up with this MTM (Multi Technology Mix or Malcolm Turnbull’s Mess depending on your side of politics). The new MTM will give us an increased maximum download speed of 25Mbit (1Mbit more that currently available for ADSL2+). Lets not even talk about the cost for this 1MBit.

    Could this not also be part of their attempt to kerb internet piracy by limiting the delivery system & peoples ability to download HD shows via VOD or Torrent sites, keeping Fox firmly in the drivers seat with their new IPTV offerings?

  4. There is far too much bias when it comes to copyright.

    What we need is a fair system that protects entertainment companies but is fair to the consumer.

    IMHO this is what I would be proposing

    * Heavy policing of current content available for sale (iTunes, online, CD, DVD, Blu-ray)

    * Freedom to distribute free-to-air content so long as all commercials are intact and limited to download within Australia only.

    * Ignorance of any copyright breaches for all content being shared online that has not been available for sale (in any format) for more than 10 years.

    I believe all copyright stakeholders have a legal obligation to make all their content available for current sale.

    I am sick of television/film/music companies complaining about their content is being pirated, when they are hoarding loads of content with no legitimate way for consumers to obtain it.

    The…

  5. @jmanwf

    Hate to burst your bubble but Game of Thrones Season 3 is not available on the US iTunes Store yet. The only thing up right now is a bunch of trailers and special features. The actual episodes will be be available from the 17th of February 2014. HBO don’t make their shows available in the US iTunes store until around the time of the DVD/Blu-ray release. If you don’t believe me read the angry reviews

    Australia was one of the only countries in the world where iTunes had it available for download the day after it aired.

  6. @vitieddie: Granted, but the Labor web filter had a wider effect on the Internet community. The Brandis filter would only affect the not legal download of copyrighted material. The Labor filter covered every single web page that any Australian could access. It had the potential to block any website that the government deemed blockable for the public good. It could even block innocent websites, because the equation used to determine content to be blocked also blocked material that was related only tenuously. We know because there were examples back then of websites that should not have been blocked but were. This affected their business.

    The Brandis filter would only target one niche of the Internet, and an illegal on at that. It doesn’t affect e-commerce (directly), it doesn’t affect e-communication and e-telephony, it doesn’t affect gaming, it doesn’t affect social…

  7. As jmanwf said there are going to be ways to get around it.

    I have bitten the bullet and am waiting for the GOT Series 3 Bluray….it has been a looooong wait. But finally it is coming out this week.

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