Copyright law must strike a balance between allowing reasonable
access to original works without shortchanging the copyright
owners, an IP expert has said in the wake of internet activist
Aaron Swartz's suicide.
A champion of open access and copyright reform, Swartz had been
fighting a legal battle with the US government over
illegally-downloaded copyrighted material for almost two years.
News of the 26-year-old's death, which some reports have blamed
on over-zealous prosecution by the US Department of Justice, has
cast a spotlight on Australia's 45-year old copyright
legislation.
Hamish Fraser, a partner at Truman Hoyle Lawyers, told
Lawyers Weekly that changes to the Copyright Act, which is
currently under review by the Australian Law Reform Commission
(ALRC), must ensure there is an incentive to both create and
disseminate original copyright material.
