Waynes Writings: Technology

"Tech industry makes late bid to stop copyright law" is the headline today.

"The New Zealand Computer Society says a new law taking effect next month could see ISPs having to cut off families and businesses, if a third party accuses them of copyright breaches.

The society said today that section 92a of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 "seriously upsets the balance between the rights of copyright holders and those of computer and internet users".

Section 92a, championed by previous associate arts minister Judith Tizard, stated that ISPs must look to disconnecting the internet service of those that have been repeatedly accused of accessing copyrighted material online.

The changes have also been opposed by other groups including the internet Society of New Zealand (InternetNZ), the Telecommunications Users Association of NZ, the ISP Association of NZ, Telecommunications Carriers Forum, Women in Technology, the NZ Open Source Society.

Placing ISPs in the position where they have to act on accusation alone, without proper judicial process, places them in an impossible situation where they are expected to take an unethical stance and action by potentially denying an essential service from Kiwi families and businesses, based on the accusation of a third party, So either they risk breaching ethical standards of behaviour, or risk breaching the law.

Guilt by accusation is not acceptable in any other area of law, not appropriate in New Zealand, and should be rejected in the same way it has been in many other countries where similar laws have been proposed, especially when it places law-abiding companies such as ISPs in this impossible situation."

I would guess that the political parties will be exempt from the law. Typical effort by Judith Tizard - the good news is that she lost her seat at the last election. Typical also the lack of common sense tech-idiot MP's passed such a dopey law. At one stage they were going to pass a law that we would have to destroy our CD's after 2 years if they were copy's of the originals (Backups). Also it is still illegal to format shift video!! Who said the lunatics are running the asylum.