Comments | mundens: You will be guilty if your neighbour says you are

mundens

You will be guilty if your neighbour says you are

Jan 30, 2009 12:49

So it seems Stephen Joyce, along with Chris Finlayson is planning to pass ACTA, and planning to keep section 92a which allows for the disconnection of individuals from the internet upon the mere accusation that they have violated copyright ( Read more... )

politics, freedom

Comments 7

meesto January 30 2009, 01:56:48 UTC

Your post makes a good draft to modify and send in to register my opinion on this matter. I've just done so.

mundens January 30 2009, 02:21:40 UTC

Well done!

meesto January 30 2009, 02:08:14 UTC

Section 92a was passed at the close of the last administration and goes into effect next month. I'm ringing the MED and trying to speak with Bradley Ward about the impact this may have on our business.

meesto January 30 2009, 02:18:53 UTC

Bradley Ward at MED has a pretty level headed approach towards this and explains that S92a will be open for public submissions. I've also been given Ralph Chivers name as the CE of the TCF to also follow up with.

My biggest concern is that as a visual effects artist and content producer (a small one) that I may have to front up like larger companies and pay for the privilege of not being harassed by my ISP.

What a pain.

meesto January 30 2009, 02:44:33 UTC

Yet more:
I've just gotten off the phone after speaking with someone at the TCF (http://tcf.org.nz/) and raising my concerns. In short, the only fees or concerns are going to be paid by someone who feels their copyright protected material is being stolen. As an individual artist/small business I don't see this really affecting us.

I don't know exactly what Telstra will say or how their TOS may change, but when I mentioned the use of BitTorrent to get files delivered from Australia I was told that ISPs are not going to be sniffing every packet which is reassuring to me.

Here's hoping that's how it all works out. TCF will be sending me a link to the proposed legislation when it is released next Wednesday. I'll post links to it on LJ and elsewhere when I get it.

mundens January 30 2009, 03:41:43 UTC

I'm not worried that ISPs will start extorting money, or that they need to sniff packets or anything like that. The problem is that the cost of responding to complaints will fall on the ISPs, and their prices will need to rise because of the additional costs to comply with the legislation and contingency to deal with potential law suits, as I don't see anything that will prevent people suing the ISP if they cut them off ( ... )

meesto January 30 2009, 04:32:28 UTC

The window for public submissions on this opens next Wednesday when the draft of S92a guidelines from TCF is released. I suggest that we use our heads and the medium itself to generate interest in having our say on this lopsided and broken bit of legislation that is a joke and that 'trying it out to see how it works' is a terrible way to make laws. I suspect those who are making the laws do not even understand the technology or the implications in making them ( ... )