When Copy Controls Upset Customers, It´s Time For New Tune

When politicians start describing acts of common sense as "groundbreaking" then you must wonder what you’ve been missing out on in the past.

Federal Attorney-General, Phillip Ruddock’s recent round of amendments to Australia’s copyright legislation risk leaving consumers further frustrated.

On the plus side, citizens can now avoid penalties for enjoying music on their mobile music devices. However, given the way the legislation has been drafted, it is arguable whether the new section 109A ‘format shifting’ exception will in fact solve the original problem.

On the down side, parts of Minister Ruddock’s brave new copyright world may already be redundant, if reports from the music industry’s major annual conference in Cannes this week are to be believed.