Key Points:
A new copyright bill would enable copyright owners to
apply to the Federal Court to require carriage service providers to
block infringing overseas websites, but the precise method remains
unclear.
On 26 March 2015, the Federal Communications Minister Malcolm
Turnbull introduced the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement)
Bill into Parliament. The Bill will give rights-holders an
efficient mechanism to disrupt copyright infringement websites
operated outside of Australia.
What is the context for this Bill?
In July 2014 the Government released the Online Copyright
Infringement Discussion Paper, which proposed amendments to
Copyright Act 1968. The proposals aimed to improve the existing
legal framework so that rights-holders, carriage service providers
(CSPs) and consumer representatives could develop workable
approaches to reducing online copyright infringement.