Four of Australia's most powerful entertainment industry bodies are in disagreement over a federal law, that makes criminals out of Australians who backup CDs, or videotape TV programs for personal use. Right now they can be prosecuted for doing so.
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"It's time to do away with the fiction that private copying is unlawful and doesn't occur," said APRA chief Brett Cottle. He said APRA supported a levy on blank CDs and DVDs, with the funds passed on to songwriters and other copyright holders. ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association) is vehemently opposed to any change. Its boss, Stephen Peach, said allowing burning of CDs and DVDs for personal use would be like letting the genie out of the bottle. "Once you legitimise it in law, how do you monitor it to make sure people are only making copies for personal use?" he said. He said the chance of an individual getting into trouble for making private copies was "beyond remote" at present. |
The article goes a bit further quoting Simon Lake of Screenrights, a non-profit copyright organisation for the film and TV industries. He said the government needed to catch up with the reality that the law is out of step and must be changed so copyright holders can get fair payment and Australians can copy legally for home use. His organization, along with the Australian Music Publishers Association, is also supporting a levy system for all forms of blank media, including video tapes and DVDs.
Source: The Sunday Mail
