Copyright bill costs concern
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jul 13 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Copyright bill costs concern
Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 10:39 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Copyright bill costs concern
The Government looks to have seriously under-estimated the processing costs of its new copyright law and the number of infringement notices expected as a result of it, Labour's Communications and IT spokesperson Clare Curran says.
"While the costs of processing alleged copyright infringements have, to some extent, been recognised with the decision to charge rights holders - predominantly US movie studios and record labels - up to $25, ISPs estimate the cost could actually be as high as $56 per notice.
"And that doesn't include indirect costs or the cost to establish a new or upgraded system to process infringement notices," Clare Curran said.
"Although the Government has attempted to reach a compromise between the demands of right holders for very low processing fees, and those of internet service providers who will bear the cost of processing alleged copyright infringement notices, it's likely we will see a flood of notices from the big distribution companies into New Zealand, once the law comes into force.
"Estimating the cost for affected rights holders is not straightforward. The Government suggests there will be up to 500 cases of infringement taken to the Copyright Tribunal in a year, yet previous estimates put the figure closer to 5,000 per month per ISP.
"Some ISPs told the select committee they already received tens of thousands of infringement notices each month, despite there being no law in place to enforce them," Clare Curran said.
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"New Zealand's current intellectual property framework is not well designed to promote innovation and growth in our economy. Laws designed centuries ago to create economic incentives for innovation by protecting creators' rights are today obstructing innovation and economic growth.
"Labour remains opposed to termination of Internet access as an ultimate penalty for repeat copyright infringement and is committed to removing this provision. Labour will announce a comprehensive policy on copyright in the lead-up to the election," Clare Curran said.
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