ARTICLE · 03 JULY 2015

Amendments to Copyright Act will strengthen copyright holders' rights online

Clayton Utz

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The laws give rights holders who discover infringing material online a way to require CSPs block access to the content.

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Until now there has been no efficient mechanism for copyright owners and exclusive licensees to block access to online locations based overseas that encourage copyright infringement. The Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2015, which commenced on Friday, introduces new laws to give rights holders who discover infringing material online a way of requiring carriage service providers (CSPs) to take reasonable steps to block access to the content, via an injunction from the Federal Court.

Some changes recommended by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee have been adopted, which rights-holders and CSPs alike need to understand.

The new website blocking regime at a glance

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