NZFACT heralds enactment of Copyright Bill

April 14 2011

NZFACT heralds enactment of Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill

NZFACT welcomes the enactment of the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill following its second and third reading in Parliament last night. The bill will now go into effect on September 1, 2011.

“We commend the Government and the Legislature for honouring their commitment to promoting and protecting the continued growth of New Zealand’s creative industries,” said NZFACT executive director Tony Eaton.

“The legislation enacted today will prove invaluable to our efforts to educate consumers about the value of intellectual property while at the same time deterring copyright infringement. We now look forward to its full implementation and to working with all sectors of the industry to make that happen.

The legislation, which was introduced on February 23, 2010 codifies the steps that internet service providers must take in cooperation with rights owners to address peer-topeer copyright infringement occurring over their networks. Those steps include forwarding notices of infringements generated by rights owners to those customers and maintaining records of such activity. The legislation also provides for damage awards by the Copyright Tribunal and the possibility of account suspension under certain circumstances.

“On behalf of New Zealand’s film community, I applaud Minister Simon Power and his colleagues in government for their ongoing support, and for protecting our collective investment in the industry, which provides 22,000 jobs and contributes more than $2.5 billion to the country’s economy.” said New Zealand Film Commission Chief Executive Officer Graeme Mason.

“On a per capita basis, New Zealand has one of the highest rates of peer-to-peer infringement in the world. I’m pleased that New Zealand will now have some of the strongest legislative provisions in the world to help address that” said noted actor Temuera Morrison.

About NZFACT: The New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft was established in 2005 by the Motion Picture Association to protect the film industry in New Zealand from the adverse impact of copyright theft. NZFACT works closely with its members, government and enforcement authorities to protect the New Zealand film and television industry, retailers and movie fans.

NZFACT members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, New Zealand; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation; Twentieth Century Fox International Corporation; Universal International Films, Inc.; and Warner Bros. Pictures International, a division of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.

NZFACT works in association with the Motion Picture Association, which represents the interests of the film industry across the world. NZFACT also has an alliance with the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand to share information regarding copyright infringement, and is a member of the recently-formed Anti Counterfeiting Group, which represents the interests of New Zealand’s major intellectual property stakeholders, such as the music industry, computer software and publishing. NZFACT has a nationwide hotline that enables the reporting of film copyright theft 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 0800 267 9744.

ENDS

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