Westserve

Copyright changes - win some, loose some

Via Simon the new changes to Australian copyright law have been revealed.

And it’s a mixed bag. I have no problem admitting that like 99% of the rest of the Australian population, I record free to air TV programs , and I have about 80% of my CD collection on my iPod. Technically, I’m breaking the law, and it’s good that the changes to copyright law will change that status.
However, some of the conditions placed on the new ‘freedom’ are just as silly as the original restrictions. Simon highlighted the fact that the new law would require you to delete a recorded program as soon as it’s watched. I can do that on my Toppy now, and even on my DVD Recorder, but it’s hard to do on my old VCR!

But one small, bright light on the copyright horizon glimmers from this quote in the Herald article:

The new laws will also:
• Provide new exceptions allowing schools, universities, libraries and other cultural institutions to use copyright material for non-commercial purposes.
• Provide new exceptions for people with disabilities to allow access to copyright materials.
• Allow the use of copyright material for parody or satire.

So maybe that will allow easier use of some material for ministry purposes – if a church is counted as a ‘cultural institution’.

Stay tuned…