Australia - public consultation on 'format shifting' of photo and films

The Australian Government (Attorney General's Department) has issued a public consultation paper, inviting submissions for a review of the sections of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) which allow for the reproduction photographs and cinematographic films for private use in limited circumstances. The relevant sections of the Act, sections 47J and 110AA, introduced in late 2006, were seen as being "innovative and controversial." Therefore the amending legislation required that the Attorney General review the sections by the end of March 2008.

"The purpose of [the] paper is to invite submission of whether sections 47J and 110AA are operating satisfactorily or whether either provision should be modified in some way. No particular view or course of action is endorsed."

"A particular concern of this review is whether the extent of copying permitted … might be extended, such as to permit digital-to-digital copying, without causing significant harm to copyright owners."

Submission instructions can be found here [PDF] with closing date for submissions 29 February 2008.

Sources and for further information

Attorney General's Department: Issues and Reviews - Copying photos and films for private use

Attorney General's Department - Copying photographs and films in a different format for private use - Issues Paper - 76KB [PDF]