Google chips into NZ copyright fray
p2pnet news view Politics | Advertising:- US advertising giant Google says it, too, is worried about the possible implementation of a new anti-P2P law in New Zealand.
New Zealand and France are supporting entertainment cartels efforts to gain total control of how ‘product’ is distributed online, both agreeing to act as taxpayer-funded corporate copyright enforcers.
Now, in a submission to New Zealand’s Telecommunications Carriers Forum, “Google said section 92a of the Copyright Act would undermine the ‘incredible social and economic benefits’ of the internet and was disproportionate to the problem it aimed to address,” says stuff.co.nz.
New Zealand would become the, “first country in the world to implement a graduated response [three strikes and you're out] system,” said p2pnet recently, quoting the IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry) .
Or as Alan McCright put it in Curmudgeon At Large, the new law, “allows the American and New Zealand film and music industries to pressure Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to terminate any individual or business users solely on their say so.”
He said »»»
If an ISP resists, they may be sued for not complying with the new law – as has happened in Australia.
Under a new provision in the New Zealand Copyright Act (Section 92A), which comes into force on 28 February, internet users’ accounts can be terminated as a result of unproven accusations of piracy. Section 92A states that if a copyright owner thinks that an internet user is guilty of repeatedly breaching copyright, then the user’s ISP will be forced the terminate their internet connections and websites.
In an internet version of the Salem Witch Hunts, the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” will be thrown out the window. Termination of Internet access will occur without any evidence, without a fair trial, without any right of appeal, and with no punishment for anyone making erroneous or malicious accusations of copyright infringement.
TelstraClear, however, has thrown a huge spanner in the works saying it won’t support the code.
Now, “Google accused the forum of dressing up its proposed enforcement scheme as an ‘education’ exercise and said it was important that any code the forum came up with made it clear that there could be others ways for ISPs to comply with the law.”
Google would know. It’s a past-master at dressing up its own vested-interest moves as ‘educational’ or ‘exciting ways to improve user experiences’.
stuff.co.nz – Google opposes new copyright law, March 16, 2009
p2pnet – ISP Witch Hunts in New Zealand, February 17, 2009
won’t support the code – New Zealand 3-strikes anti-P2P bill killed, March 11, 2009
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