Send us your copyright infringement notices!
September 1st is the start of the new copyright regime, where rights-holders can send infringment notices to people they accuse of infringing their copyright.
We would like copies of those notices. This will allow us to help monitor how the law is being used, including:
- assessing the quality of the notices
- finding out who is sending them and for what sort of works
- help us detect anyone abusing the system
Please email your notices to notices@techliberty.org.nz. Feel free to include other information including whether you deny the allegation or not. We promise to keep your name and other identifying details private.
The Infringing File Sharing Act starts today
Welcome to the new world of the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Act.
This is the law that:
- Makes internet account holders liable for the actions of others, even when there is no reasonable expectation that they could control their behaviour.
- Will make it very hard for anyone, including universities, libraries, motels and cafes, to offer internet access to their patrons as they can't risk penalties of up to $15,000.
- Can fine people for downloading material that isn't even available for purchase in New Zealand.
- Takes away the right to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, by assuming that complainants are telling the truth, leaving people having to prove that they didn't do something.
While the law comes into effect on September 1st, notices can be sent for activity up to 21 days earlier. This means that you could get a notice for any activity from August 11th onwards - today.
What's covered?
The law is meant to be aimed at people infringing copyright by downloading material without permission over peer to peer (P2P) file sharing - BitTorrent, eDonkey, etc. However it is written in such a way that it might be possible to use it for other forms of online infringement such as downloading from websites or watching streaming video. We'll be testing that further from September 1st.
Who is at risk?
The person whose name is on the internet account. They're liable for the actions of all people who use that internet account.
What can I do to protect myself?
If you're the account holder, make sure you know what everyone who uses your internet is doing. Don't let people use your account if you don't trust them not to download infringing material via file-sharing.
More information
- Our article, What you need to know about the new copyright law.
- Flowcharts showing the processes included in the law (thanks to the TCF).
- Think you can become an ISP/IPAP and thereby pass your liability on to your users? Our article explains why you probably can't.
- 13 reasons why the Infringing File Sharing Act is bad for you by Christopher Wood.
- 3 Strikes NZ website about the new law.
- Information from the Ministry of Economic Development.
- The text of the law.
What you need to know about the new copyright law
Parliament has passed the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Act.
Here's 10 things that you need to know about it:
- What: Infringing file sharing is the act of downloading or uploading copyrighted content without permission. This can apply to any content, e.g. movies, TV shows, music, pictures, books, games or software.
- When. The new law comes into effect from September 1st 2011. You can receive a notice for infringing file sharing that took place from any time from August 10th (21 days before Sept 1st). Mobile phones are excluded until 30 September 2013.
- Who. The account holder (the person who pays for the internet conection) is the one who is legally responsible for any infringing file sharing occurring over that connection. You are not legally liable if you use someone else's internet connection, although they won't be very happy about it and may be able to come after you.
- Getting caught. You are most likely to get caught if you use peer-to-peer file-sharing software (e.g. BitTorrent, emule, etc). This is because peer to peer works by you sharing the file with a whole lot of other people - if one of them works for the copyright-holders they can get enough information to make a complaint.
- Not getting caught. You are not likely to get caught if you copy files from friends, download from file-sharing websites (that don't use torrent software), or watch videos on YouTube or similar sites.
- Notices. If caught infringing, you will initially receive a Detection Notice, followed by a Warning Notice, then an Enforcement Notice. There must be at least three weeks between notices. (Each copyright-holder making complaints will follow the same progression - you could have a Warning Notice from one and a Detection Notice from another).
- Challenging notices. You can respond with a challenge to any notice. The copyright-holder gets to decide whether your challenge will be accepted or not. There are no agreed grounds for challenges yet.
- Personal details. The copyright-holder will not be given your name, address and other contact details. All communication is handled by your internet provider.
- Copyright Tribunal. Once you have received an Enforcement Notice the matter will go to the Copyright Tribunal. They can levy of a penalty of up to $15,000 that has to be paid to the copyright-holder. They will normally make decisions based on written submissions, but either party can request a hearing. Lawyers are not allowed at the hearing.
- Account suspension. The provision in the law allowing for an internet account to be cut-off is currently suspended.
Copyright infringement notices aren’t traffic tickets
One of the notable changes in the latest revisions of the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Bill is the addition of section 122MA. This section states that infringement notices issued by media companies against individuals are conclusive evidence to prove wrong-doing.
Some have interpreted this to mean guilt on accusation has made a return back into the bill, after S92A was suspended and finally defeated for doing the exact same thing. In response, it is claimed that this does not re-introduce guilt on accusation, but instead is based on the traffic ticket model, where guilt is presumed unless they are contested.
But traffic tickets are quite different to the claims made by media companies.
- Traffic tickets are issued by sworn police officers, or by automated systems that are held to rigorous standards. Media companies and their notice sending robots are not held to the same standards and have no statutory obligations or penalities for wrongful claims. The industry has resisted attempts to inspect their automated systems.
- Police are subject to oversight by their superiors, the Independent Police Complaints Authority and ultimately parliament and the public. They have a responsiblity to be impartial and to act in the public good. Media companies and their agents have no oversight at all and act purely in the interest of their own profits.
- Tickets issued by officers are unlikely to identify the wrong person, while automated systems have a number of checks and balances to ensure that only solid and provable tickets are issued. Media companies have already engaged in carpet-bombing users with claims that cannot be substantiated, and they rely on ISPs to always identify the correct account holder.
Google noted in their submission on S92A that 37% of the notices received under the DMCA were unable to be substantiated as valid copyright claims, and a whopping 57% were businesses targeting their rivals. Judge David Harvey noted in his submission on S92A that 30% of the copyright claims being heard in New Zealand failed to even establish a rightful copyright claim. Considering this error rate, surely we can't be proposing to accept untested claims from media companies as conclusive evidence?
We believe that 122MA is trying to allow the Copyright Tribunal to make rulings based "on the papers" where there is no contest being made about the claims. But rather than following a traffic ticket model - making any claim made by a media company conclusive proof - we believe the Tribunal already has sufficient scope and experience to make that determination itself. This is similar to how the Disputes Tribunal works and is a sensible model for handling copyright infringement claims.
Section 122MA should be removed in its entirety.
Guest post: Letter to Mr Power re Copyright
Sam Fickling sent us a copy of his letter to the Commerce Minister, Simon Power, about the proposed changes to the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing Amendment) Bill. He has kindly given us permission to publish it here.
Mr Power,
Once again I believe that, for the most part, the ongoing modifications to the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill are improving the legislation and building a fair and workable framework with which to protect both rights holders and Internet users. However, the recent recommendation by the Commerce Committee to insert section 122MA into the bill has unfortunately brought the debate around this legislation back to where it started.
Originally, the main objection I, and many other individuals and organisations, had against the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill was the concept of 'guilt upon accusation'. While this concept had been removed from more recent drafts of the bill, it has made a return with section 122MA. I must re-iterate my original objections to the concept of 'guilt upon accusation' and the fact that this is in complete contradiction to the established laws and legal principles of New Zealand where accused parties are innocent until proven guilty! Furthermore, in established legal principles, the burden of proof lies with the accuser and this should most certainly not be reversed "in recognition of uncertainty about findings of copyright infringement"!
Replacing ISPs with IPAPs – How well have they done?
The Commerce Select Committee has reported back on the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill (PDF).
One of the problems in the drafting of such a law is how to define what an ISP is. The obvious approach is "provides internet services" but what about a cafe that gives free wireless access to customers? Or a university that provides services to staff and students? The problem is a lot harder than it looks.
The latest report suggests replacing the definition of "Internet Service Provider" with one for "Internet Protocol Address Provider" or IPAP.
This would avoid ambiguity and focus on the function of an Internet service provider that is relevant to infringing file sharing, namely the provision of Internet protocol addresses.
Of course, this does no such thing as anyone providing any form of internet service must provide an "Internet protocol address" to each person using it. It's inherent to the nature of an Internet connection and, once again, shows that Government isn't very good at technology. Edit: This may be trying to protect providers of low level services such as cabling and fibre.
However, when we look at the full definition, maybe it's not so bad:
IPAP means a person that operates a business that, other than as an incidental feature of its main business activities,
(a) offers the transmission, routing and providing of connections for digital online communications, between or mong point specified by user, or material of the user's choosing; and
(ab) allocates IP addresses to its account holders; and
(b) charges its account holders for its services; and
(c) is not primarily operated to cater for transient users.
A discussed, the inclusion of "(ab) allocates IP addresses" seems a bit unnecessary but overall the definition seems to hold up under scrutiny.
- Orcon and other ISPs would obviously be an IPAP.
- Cafenet supports both transient and account-based users. Should it be an IPAP?
- Universities and libraries would not be an IPAP because of (b) (there is no direct charging although student fees do include provision for services).
- Someone sharing a connection with their friends would not be an IPAP because of (b).
- Citylink would be an IPAP. (Should it be? See discussion in comments.)
- The local coffee shop would not be an IPAP because of (b) and (c).
- Would an Internet cafe be included? They do charge, the users vary between transient and regular.
- Mobile data from Vodafone/Telecom/2 Degrees will not be included for now, because a separate clause delays their inclusion until 1 August 2013.
How have they done? Please help.
Can you think of any cases:
- Where a person or company will be included as an IPAP that shouldn't be?
- Where a person or company that should be an IPAP won't be?
Flowcharts for the new Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Bill
Chris Esther has created some useful flowcharts that help explain some of the processes included in the new Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Bill. He has very kindly allowed us to repost them here.
Copyright Bill Roundup
A round-up of comments and information about the latest report on the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill.
First, the report of the Commerce Select Committee (PDF).