Labour Further Develop Copyright Policy.
(crossposted from CreativeFreedom.org.nz)
Clare Curran, Communications and IT Spokesperson for Labour, recently held a meeting in Auckland to discuss broader issues with Copyright in NZ. One purpose of the meeting was to encourage discussion that would feed into a policy on copyright that Labour are developing.
Many key stakeholders involved in the current Copyright debate in NZ attended, and CFF were among them. We found it to be a very positive experience with some surprising common ground. Participants were respectful and a general consensus was reached that technology is radically shifting the way people engage with media. Business models need to be updated to keep up with the change, but education and awareness around respecting the rights of copyright owners is also important.
Some time was spent discussing the questionable and unproven “statistics” that have been given by rights holders as an attempt to paint illegal downloading as a major revenue threat. It was even admitted by one party that recent claims of internet traffic being significantly reduced around the time of the Internet Blackout, and subsequent increases following the suspension of s92A, were entirely fabricated.
All in all, we found Curran’s comprehensive grasping of the key issues to be encouraging and greatly look forward to seeing her further progress. Due processes worthy of respect from the public, and Fair Use are essential to New Zealand’s future creative sector and it was great to hear these issues given the time they deserve.
Curran’s response to the meeting is here 
and her longer post about Copyright issues is here .
July 14th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I’ve always been impressed with how opposition parties seem to make sense around copyright. Remember Maurice Williamson during the IT debate?
“There is logic. I don’t know why I voted for it. But there is no logic. There is no logic. They are all the same. Look, bits are bits and photos and phone calls and DVDs and movies are all just strings of zeroes and ones and as soon as you start to try and identify one as different to the other you are wasting your time.”
Political parties always sound nice in opposition. It’s their behaviour when they are in power that counts. Labour gave us S92A. National is looking to patch it – even though they promised a first principles review of copyright:
“Our policy does call for a complete and absolute first principles review of the Copyright Act but I tell you, I think something more important. I actually think the players can actually get there themselves if they … my understanding of it is a code of conduct is being negotiated and very close to getting there if the government stays out of it, if we all stay out of it not just David, if we all stay out of that hopefully you will get it. If you actually have an imposed solution from the centre it won’t be enduring. If you can get the parties to sign up themselves and say this is what is workable that is the way to go.”