[Ecommerce] FYI: Australia: Copyright Amendment Bill intends to lower the restrictions on parallel importations...

[Manon Anne Ress]

 From  European IP desk:

http://www.ipr-helpdesk.org/controlador.jsp?cuerpo=noticiasCuerpo&seccion=noticiaseventos&tipoListado=all&id=0000002640&len=en

Australia. Copyright Amendment Bill intends to lower the restrictions on 
parallel importation of certain copyright objects

On 27 March 2003, Australia's Senate approved the Copyright Amendment 
(Parallel Importation) Bill 2002 with amendments. The House of 
Representatives will now consider these amendments.

The Bill proposes an important and courageous change with regard to the 
parallel importation of certain copyright items into Australian 
territory. If the Bill was eventually passed, the importation into 
Australia of copies of computer software, computer games and the like 
would be allowed even without authorization by the Australian copyright 
owner if these copies are non-infringing, i.e. if they are made overseas 
and if their making did not constitute an infringement of any copyright 
in a work under a law of the country in which the copies were made. 
Strengthened provisions on the enforcement of copyrights, amongst other 
things, are intended to counterbalance the lowered restrictions on 
parallel importations.

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission the 
Bill, if eventually passed, would constitute an improvement in respect 
of market liberalization, with lower software prices benefiting the 
consumers. Others fear the risk "of an increased inflow of pirated 
products into Australia".

Copyright Amendment (Parallel Import) Bill 2002:

   » search.aph.gov.au

Amendments made by the Senate:

   » search.aph.gov.au

Australian Senate Daily Summary No 24/2003 of 27 March 2003:

   » www.aph.gov.au

-- 
Manon Anne Ress
Consumer Project on Technology
www.cptech.org
PO Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
manon.ress@cptech.org, voice: 1.202.387.8030, fax: 1.202.234.5176