34 film companies have filed an appeal against the judgment of the Federal Court in the case against the Australian internet service provider, iiNet. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), on behalf of the film companies, said there were good grounds of appeal from a judgment that has left an unworkable online environment for …
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Larrikin Music’s claim of copyright infringement against EMI Songs, EMI Music and two former members of the band Men at Work has been successful in Larrikin Music Publishing Pty Ltd v EMI Songs Australia Pty Limited [2010] FCA 29. On 4 February 2010 the Federal Court ruled that copyright in the 1934 round “Kookaburra sits …
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Major film and television studios represented by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) have today lost their battle against the third largest internet service provider (ISP) in Australia, iiNet Limited. This case (Roadshow Films Pty Ltd v iiNet Limited (No. 3) [2010] FCA 24) considered whether the ISP authorised the infringement of copyright of …
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The New Zealand Trade Marks (International Treaties and Enforcement) Amendment Bill 2008 has been reviewed by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee, which made a number of minor recommendations. If passed, the Bill will amend the Trade Marks Act 2002 and the Copyright Act 1994 to give effect to the Government’s decisions to ratify the Singapore Treaty and to accede …
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The Sydney Morning Herald has reported today that the case involving copyright ownership of the hit song Amazing has been dismissed by the Federal Court. Mark Edward O’Keefe was suing singer Alex Lloyd claiming he co-wrote the song with Lloyd on the back of some coasters in a Sydney hotel in 1991.
The decision in Intelmail Explorenet Pty Limited v Vardanian (No 2) [2009] FCA 1018 again illustrates the difficulties which can arise where ownership of employee or contractor generated intellectual property is not adequately addressed by express contractual terms. Dilanchian, the controlling shareholder of Intelmail, had for many years operated a business involving the manufacture, sale and servicing of …
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The Productivity Commission, the Australian Government’s independent research and advisory body on a range of economic, social and environmental issues, has recommended the removal of the current Parallel Import Restrictions (PIRs) for books. The Commission recommends that repeal should take effect three years after the date that it is announced. The PIRs form part of Australia’s Copyright …
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Melbourne’s Age newspaper has reported today that Police have seized almost 7,000 pirated computer games and DVDs after raids on a computer swap meet and two private homes.
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Dr Francis Gurry, will present a public lecture at the Melbourne Law School on 3 August. Gurry is the highest-ranking Australian official in a United Nations agency, and only the third to ever head a UN agency. He is making his first official visit to Australia since …
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This morning’s Age newspaper report of US$1.92 million fine imposed on a Minnesota woman who illegally downloaded 24 songs contrasts markedly with the approach of Australian courts. The matter was a civil suit, with a jury deciding the penalty.
