New Zealand Overhauls Copyright Law – ISPs Now Liable For Infringement
New Zealand’s New Technologies and Performers’ Rights Copyright Amendment Bill is a complete overhaul of their copyright law. The bill was passed on April 8th and is designed to clarify how copyright applies to new technologies in today’s digital environment. New Zealand’s last copyright legislation was drafted almost 20 years ago.
Campbell Smith, Chief Executive of the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, is thrilled about the new bill because it provides content creators and users alike with a degree of certainty in the turbulent seas of copyright protection. However, one of the biggest items in the new bill is ISP liability. The legislation requires ISPs to engage in the fight to prevent copyright infringement on their networks. The measure is sure to have reverberations in the UK who is struggling with the same issue.
Smith contends that the New Zealand recorded music industry will work closely with Internet service providers to ensure new copyright legislation works against online pirates.
