fwd: Copyright law caught in its own time warp

Australia's new quaint copyright laws

The absurdity of copyright laws was brought home to us here in Australia recently.
In May, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock announced "commonsense" changes to Australia's copyright laws that
"will maintain Australia's copyright laws as the best in the world".
Doublespeak. The minister's announcement included a little Q&A session intended to show how the laws work.
Here's a few of the questions and their answers.
Read it and weep (or laugh - it's like something out of Monty Python). My commentary is in brackets after each
Copyright law caught in its own time warp - Perspectives - Opinion - Technology
2 of 3 19/07/2006 07:46
answer.
Question: Does this mean I can record my favourite television or radio program to enjoy later?
Answer: Yes. For the first time, you will be able to record most television or radio program at home to enjoy at
a later time. This will allow you to watch or listen to a program as it was made available to the public at the
time of the original broadcast.
(We have all been doing this for years. The legislation doesn't bring us into the 21st century but the 20th.)
Question: How long can I keep the recording?
Answer: The recording must be deleted after one use. It will not be possible to use the recording over and
over again.
(Well, sorry, but it will be possible, and we will continue doing it, like we have for years. What the answer
should have said is that it "will remain illegal" to keep the recordings.)
Question: Can I make a collection of copied television and radio programs?
Answer: No. You will not be able to burn a collection (or library) of your favourite programs on DVD or CD to
keep. It will be permitted to record a program on DVD or CD but only temporarily until you watch or listen to it
for the first time.
(Got that? No collecting of your favourite programs.)
Question: Can I give a recording I have made to a friend?
Answer: No. A recording is for the personal use of the person who made it. You can invite a friend over to
watch or listen to your recording but you can't lend or give it to a friend to take home with them.
(Clever, isn't it? Your friend can watch it with you but they may not watch it alone, or the police may knock on
their door.)
Question: Will I be able to copy my music collection?
Answer: Yes. You can format-shift your music collection from CDs, audio tapes and vinyl to devices such as an
MP3 player, X-Box 360 or home-entertainment PC but only if the original is a legitimate copy that you own and
you format-shift for your personal use in a different audio format.
(So it is now legal to copy music from your CDs to your iPod. Whoopy-do. But you can't copy a CD to another
CD - it must be in a different format. "Best copyright laws in the world", remember.)
Pathetic, isn't it? I rest my case.
I am not going to repeat arguments I have previously made about copyright protecting the publisher, not the
artist, or that intellectual property laws stifle creativity rather than enhance it.
The absurdity of the above events and laws should be enough to demonstrate that attempts to control
Copyright law caught in its own time warp - Perspectives - Opinion - Technology
3 of 3 19/07/2006 07:46
21st-century technology with 19th-century laws are impossible.
But we will continue to see it happening, so long as people refuse to see the obvious: that copyright is dead in
the digital millennium.
Copyright © 2006. The Sydney Morning Herald.

Netmask

Question: Does this mean I can record my favourite television or radio program to enjoy later?
Answer: Yes. For the first time, you will be able to record most television or radio program at home to enjoy at
a later time. This will allow you to watch or listen to a program as it was made available to the public at the
time of the original broadcast.
(We have all been doing this for years. The legislation doesn't bring us into the 21st century but the 20th.)
Question: How long can I keep the recording?
Answer: The recording must be deleted after one use. It will not be possible to use the recording over and
over again.
(Well, sorry, but it will be possible, and we will continue doing it, like we have for years. What the answer
should have said is that it "will remain illegal" to keep the recordings.)
Question: Can I make a collection of copied television and radio programs?
Answer: No. You will not be able to burn a collection (or library) of your favourite programs on DVD or CD to
keep. It will be permitted to record a program on DVD or CD but only temporarily until you watch or listen to it
for the first time.
(Got that? No collecting of your favourite programs.)


This would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragically surreal and actually A LAW.

Prosecution of this depends on a definition of how long "temporarily" implies in the statement "temporarily until you watch or listen to it
for the first time."
I have vhs copies of shows I taped back in the 90's I STILL haven't watched--if these were on dvd would I be a felon because they slipped my mind and they're still on my "to watch" shelf? If they pick some arbitrary time frame (2 weeks? 2 months? A year?) that you'll have to let your copy rest on the shelf, are you immediately a criminal if the dvd copy passes that expiration date. I suppose you would be. Unbelievable.

And aside from getting TWO acquaitances to testify that they eached watched the same recorded show at DIFFERENT times with me, how the hell could this ever be proven anyone watched something more than one time?!!

S.

"Sandoz" <> wrote in message
news:bp8wg.35$6G3.25@trnddc05...

Question: Does this mean I can record my favourite television or radio
program to enjoy later?
Answer: Yes. For the first time, you will be able to record most television
or radio program at home to enjoy at
a later time. This will allow you to watch or listen to a program as it was
made available to the public at the
time of the original broadcast.
(We have all been doing this for years. The legislation doesn't bring us
into the 21st century but the 20th.)
Question: How long can I keep the recording?
Answer: The recording must be deleted after one use. It will not be possible
to use the recording over and
over again.
(Well, sorry, but it will be possible, and we will continue doing it, like
we have for years. What the answer
should have said is that it "will remain illegal" to keep the recordings.)
Question: Can I make a collection of copied television and radio programs?
Answer: No. You will not be able to burn a collection (or library) of your
favourite programs on DVD or CD to
keep. It will be permitted to record a program on DVD or CD but only
temporarily until you watch or listen to it
for the first time.
(Got that? No collecting of your favourite programs.)


This would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragically surreal and actually A
LAW.

Prosecution of this depends on a definition of how long "temporarily"
implies in the statement "temporarily until you watch or listen to it
for the first time."
I have vhs copies of shows I taped back in the 90's I STILL haven't
watched--if these were on dvd would I be a felon because they slipped my
mind and they're still on my "to watch" shelf? If they pick some arbitrary
time frame (2 weeks? 2 months? A year?) that you'll have to let your copy
rest on the shelf, are you immediately a criminal if the dvd copy passes
that expiration date. I suppose you would be. Unbelievable.

And aside from getting TWO acquaitances to testify that they eached watched
the same recorded show at DIFFERENT times with me, how the hell could this
ever be proven anyone watched something more than one time?!!

S.



I suspect in the higher reaches of the public service, the people who
actually drafted this law may have been guilty of a "wink wink nudge nudge"
approach to this 'update' of our law and have hoodwinked the pollies - who
clearly must be really dumb not to pick this up.. them's my thoughts. As you
imply it is unenforceable

Netmask wrote:
> "Sandoz" <> wrote in message
> news:bp8wg.35$6G3.25@trnddc05...
>
> Question: Does this mean I can record my favourite television or radio
> program to enjoy later?
> Answer: Yes. For the first time, you will be able to record most television
> or radio program at home to enjoy at
> a later time. This will allow you to watch or listen to a program as it was
> made available to the public at the
> time of the original broadcast.
> (We have all been doing this for years.....

Yes, we've all been doing it for years, and I've been filling my
cupboards with videotapes of culuturally significant matters such as
AFL Grand Finals, Playschool, Homicide & etc, but because of the
stupidity of our laws, I've not been able to watch them. Now I can dust
them off and view -- that is, if I can find a VHS player. Got a feeling
I threw mine out about five years ago. Dammit!!!!