tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70838088322119742862024-02-20T14:03:12.682-08:00Bram's PyreMelissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-85236901656443324612015-10-26T13:52:00.002-07:002015-10-26T13:52:22.958-07:00Watching Me, Watching You: Surveillance, the Media and the Law<b>Media & Arts Law Review </b><br />
<b></b><i>Call For Papers</i><br />
The Editors of the Media and Arts Law Review are preparing a Special Issue of the journal focusing on legal issues regarding surveillance, journalism and the media.
Articles should be between 6,000- 8,000 words and may address any area of law that is relevant to any aspect regarding surveillance of, or by, the media. The special issue will be published in September 2016.<br />
Proposals for an article of 500 words and a brief author bio should be sent to <a href="law-cmcl@unimelb.edu.au">law-cmcl@unimelb.edu.au</a>.<br />
The proposal is due 30 November 2015 and acceptance of the proposal will be advised by 14 December 2015.
If the proposal is accepted, a full article suitable for blind double peer review must be submitted by 30 April 2016.<br />
Please contact Jason Bosland (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/j.bosland@unimelb.edu.au">j.bosland@unimelb.edu.au</a>) if you have any questions.Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-39267415107094544712014-11-24T19:24:00.002-08:002014-11-24T19:24:49.111-08:00Peter Carey's Amnesia: what does it tell us?After reading the hype regarding Peter Carey's <i>Amnesia</i> being a book focused on hacking, cyberspace, and politics I could not resist reading it at once. The back cover indicates that the novel will address the pressing question: "How did a young woman from suburban Melbourne become America's Public Enemy number one?": sound familiar? with a different gender are we talking about Assange here? Add to this the rumours (since <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/peter-carey-secrecy-in-the-information-age-1.1999676" target="_blank">denied</a>) that Carey had been 'sounded out' about writing Assange's biography, and it sounds like we have a novel that will address these big questions of our time.<br />
<br />
It starts out in a promising tone, placing the story of Gaby Baillieux in the hands of a journalist who has just endured a defamation trial, the 'famously shmabolic' Felix Moore, jaded, faded and channelling to not a small degree of one of my favourite voices of doom, Bob Ellis. A worm has entered the computerised control systems of Australian (and American) jails and detention centres, opening the doors and freeing the prisoners and detainees, announcing itself with the words 'THE CORPORATION IS UNDER OUR CONTROL. THE ANGEL DECLARES YOU FREE'. Unlike the other journalists and commentators, the narrator recognises this act for what it truly is: an attack on the US, and more conclusively, an act in retaliation for events begun in 1975, when the US (read CIA) removed the democratically elected Whitlam government.<br />
<br />
If this all seems fairly far fetched, even for a self-declared conspiracy theorist you would be right.<br />
We are taken on a journey through Melbourne, specifically Carlton and Coburg of the last couple of decades, recounting Gaby's childhood and her introduction through the enigmatic Frederic, to computers, online games, phreaking and eventually hacking. There are some fun moments, such as the drone disguised as a magpie, but ultimately I found the story deeply unsatisfying. For much of the book it is not clear just how unreliable the narrator has become, and how many levels of conspiracy are at work. It is nicely done, lots of references to technology, but lots of inconsistencies too. In the end we don't really answer those big questions, nor really gain any true understanding if Gaby is Public Enemy number one, and we certainly don't get any clear sense of her motivations, beyond being fairly pissed off with her parents.<br />
<br />
This is not the novel of the internet generation and at worst makes the work of online activists seem childish and petulant. Further, although it skirts round the complexities of the Australian media landscape, it does not tackle important questions of old versus new media.<br />
<br />
Some other reviews may be found at:<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/30/amnesia-peter-carey-review-turbo-charged" target="_blank">Amnesia by Peter Carey review – turbo-charged, hyper energetic, Andrew Motion, The Guardian </a><br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/amnesia-by-peter-carey-book-review-echoes-of-assange-as-author-turns-his-sights-on-hacktivism-9833063.html" target="_blank">Amnesia by Peter Carey, book review: Echoes of Assange as author turns his sights on hacktivism</a><br />
<br />
See also the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4111041.htm" target="_blank">7.30 Report Interview</a> with Carey.Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-60373327853212279142014-08-19T20:44:00.000-07:002014-08-19T20:44:11.528-07:00Julian Assange: When Google Met WikiLeaksJulian Assange's latest book <a href="http://www.orbooks.com/catalog/when-google-met-wikileaks/" target="_blank">When Google Met WikiLeaks </a>is partially a response to Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen's <a href="http://www.newdigitalage.com/" target="_blank">The New Digital Age</a>, published on the eve of the Snowden revelations in 2013. The disclosure that that the US government was collecting massive amounts of user data via the major US tech companies somewhat undermined the techno-utopianism of the Google sponsored manifesto. <i>The New Digital Age </i>featured (along with a range of various 'The Future Of ...' topics) some discussion of WikiLeaks and Assange, including some loose logic connecting hackivism with terrorism, questioning the role of WikiLeaks (and Assange in particular) in providing a leaking platform, and vague, untrue assertions about the harm caused by various leaks, and Assange now seeks to correct the record.<br />
<br />
<i>When Google Met WikiLeaks</i> consists primarily of a transcript of the long discussions/ interview that took place while Assange was staying at Ellingham Hall whilst under house arrest. Schmidt and Cohen asked Assange to expound on a number of topics, noting that the views would be incorporated in their future book. The book also includes context, Assange's response to claims made in <i>The New Digital Age</i>, and a timeline of events.<br />
<br />
This short book is well worth a read, as is Assange's other book <a href="http://www.orbooks.com/catalog/cypherpunks/" target="_blank">Cypherpunks</a>, if you want a chilling view of the future of the internet. Rather than couching everything in pseudo-management speak, Assange spells out the potential threats to the open internet, privacy and free speech.<br />
<br />
As Assange notes early on, the involvement of Google in routine metadata harvesting should not come as a surprise to anyone. Google's corporate mission after all is to collect and "organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" and Google obtained NSA funding to develop search tools to make sense of the data it was collecting (39).<br />
<br />
The book is an essential read for anyone attempting to understand Assange's philosophy regarding secrecy, leaks and whistleblowing, correcting as it does some of the quotes attributed to him in <i>The New Digital Age</i>.<br />
<br />
Both <i>Cypherpunks </i>and <i>When Google Met WikiLeaks</i> will remain largely unread by a public that remains far too blasé about the revelations regarding what is being done with our data. However, they provide thoughtful and knowledgable insights into the challenges of data and surveillance and should be given greater prominence in public analysis of the Big Data issue. Assange is at the forefront of the analysis of these issues and his insights should be given greater prominence given his first hand experiences with whistleblowing, surveillance and the media. Recommended reading for anyone who cares about the 'future of the internet'.<br />
<br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-17323789860891130262014-08-13T21:59:00.000-07:002014-08-13T21:59:35.701-07:00CFP: Media & Arts Law Review: Law and Law Breaking in Game of Thrones<div class="MsoNormal">
The Editors of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Media
and Arts Law Review</i> are preparing a Special Issue of the journal which will
consider various issues of law and regulation that arise in the HBO TV Series
Game of Thrones and the George RR Martin books, upon which the series is based.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Articles should be between 6,000- 8,000 words and may
address any area of law that is relevant to an aspect of Game of Thrones. The
special issue will be published mid-2015.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Proposals for an article of 500 words and including a brief
author bio should be sent to <a href="mailto:Melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au">Melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au</a>.
The proposal is due 10 October 2014 and acceptance of the proposal will be
advised by 20 October 2014.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
If the proposal is accepted, a full article suitable for
blind double peer review must be submitted by 19 December 2014.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please contact <a href="mailto:Melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au">Melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au</a>
if you have any questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i>Media & Arts Law Review</i> is the only
Australian-based journal to focus on a broad range of legal issues affecting
cultural life. The <i>Review</i> aims to engage both the academic and
practitioner branches of the profession. It has a wide scope, including:
communications, copyright, cultural heritage, defamation, digitisation,
entertainment, free speech, intellectual property, journalism, privacy and
public interest issues. The <i>Media & Arts Law Review</i> publishes
independently refereed articles from Australia and overseas, as well as
conference reports and book reviews. It also includes a series of regular update
reports on media and arts law developments. These offer a snapshot of matters
such as case law, legislation, law reform, convention developments, and changes
in industry self-regulation. Update reports include coverage of the US, Canada,
the UK, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia and some Asian
jurisdictions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Editors: Jason Bosland and Melissa de Zwart<o:p></o:p></div>
Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-60640876752780649402014-07-30T16:54:00.000-07:002014-07-30T16:54:41.957-07:00Strategic Space Law Program at McGillThe <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/" target="_blank">McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law</a>, in partnership with the University of Adelaide Law School, has planned to offer the first ever Strategic Space Law program. The aim of the program is to provide a unique opportunity for lawyers and other professionals in the defence services, international relations, government, international organisations and other entities around the world to understand space law in a strategic context. The program will be run as a one-week intensive, interdisciplinary, interactive workshop (non-assessable) at the Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University, from 27-31 October 2014. This <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/channels/event/strategic-space-law-intensive-program-237671" target="_blank">Brochure</a> provides more details of the program. The Brochure can also downloaded from:<br /><blockquote style="font-family: Calibri;" type="cite">
<a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/channels/event/strategic-space-law-intensive-program-237671">http://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/channels/event/strategic-space-law-intensive-program-237671</a></blockquote>
Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-45592359793511328682014-06-05T22:19:00.000-07:002014-06-05T22:19:39.563-07:00Glenn Greenwald: No Place to HideIt is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/05/edward-snowden-one-year-nsa-surveillance-reform" target="_blank">one year since the revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden</a>, confirmed our worst fears regarding widespread interception of telephone and internet communications. Those leaks were carefully shepherded to publication according to a carefully planned timetable by <a href="http://www.glenngreenwald.net/" target="_blank">Glenn Greenwald </a>and Laura Poitras (together with Ewen MacAskill of <i>The Guardian</i>) in order to ensure that the importance of those disclosures was not lost in the midst of mass information overload. Greenwald's role in the Snowden leaks has not been without personal risk and cost to him (and to his partner David Miranda) and in this book <i><a href="http://www.glenngreenwald.net/#NPTH" target="_blank">No Place To Hide</a></i>, he traverses all of these issues: the background to his meeting with Snowden (together with Poitras) and decisions taken regarding content and timing of publications; his own analysis of the leaked material in context; a discussion of the dangers of mass surveillance and threats to privacy and an exploration of what it means to be a journalist in the post 9/11 era, when concerted efforts are made to break down journalists' protections and to discredit whistleblowers as paranoid loners with no sense of social obligation.<br />
Greenwald has written a very readable book which identifies a number of vital questions for our age. He addresses these questions from a multi-jurisdictional perspective, highlighting key differences in particular between US and UK approaches to journalistic protections and freedom of speech. It also provides a fascinating insight into Edward Snowden, the young man prepared to put his whole life on hold (and potentially much worse) to stand up for what he believes in.<br />
Along the way a number of other interesting points are canvassed.<br />
Greenwald begins by outlining the story of the early contacts that were made to him by Snowden and his uncertainty regarding the status and seriousness of this potential source. Contact was delayed by his own lack of understanding of the need for encrypted communications. Once these obstacles were overcome and he travelled to Hong Kong (meanwhile still questioning whether the effort would be wasted) only to be surprised by the serious, well-organised, thoughtful and startlingly young Edward Snowden. This background reinforces the fact that Snowden's act of whistleblowing was no reckless or random act. Here is a man prepared to sacrifice his own freedom to support the ideals of democracy and transparency. He did not seek any personal gain of any kind and was determined to remove himself from the centre of the story, so the focus was not on personality but rather about his message.<br />
Greenwald makes an interesting aside regarding the role of video games in shaping Snowden's world view (and of course that of others of his generation) through 'moulding political consciousness, moral reasoning, and an understanding of one's place in the world', as well as the central belief in the value of the internet: 'the world in which his mind and personality developed, a place unto itself that offered freedom, exploration, and the potential for intellectual growth and understanding.' This belief in the need to ensure that the internet functions as a place for freedom and individual actualisation lies behind Snowden's motivations to reveal the vast, daily, bulk collection of personal data being undertaken by the NSA and its equivalents in other States, and Greenwald captures and articulates this core belief well.<br />
A key message to take away from Greenwald's book is the ongoing threat to journalistic standards and freedoms: the detention of David Miranda at Heathrow, the raid on <i>The Guardian's</i> offices and smashing of computer hard drives and the repeated demands for Greenwald's prosecution as a 'co-conspirator"should be seen as very serious incursions on the independence and integrity of journalistic freedoms. As Greenwald notes, the smashing of computers and hard drives by <i>The Guardian </i>on the demand of GCHQ staff is bad enough, but what does it mean for the source who has risked his life to bring their contents to light? How do we deal with growing complicity between journalists and politicians? Particularly chilling were the references to efforts against Anonymous and the 'human network that supports WikiLeaks'. The attacks on Greenwald were derogatory and dangerous and the status of journalistic standards and the continued existence of an independent media remain in question.<br />
Greenwald's book is still shocking for the stories that it reveals about data collection. The clunky power point slides used to train NSA employees and contracts contained in the book are laughable and chilling for their simplistic message of "Collect it All".<br />
This book is vital reading for anyone concerned about the Snowdon revelations and their implications for privacy, but also for those concerned about the future of journalism in the context of whistleblowing, mass surveillance and Big Data.<br />
<br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-70077533174722547752014-02-13T18:10:00.001-08:002014-02-13T18:10:08.810-08:00A new tort of privacy in the UK: Vidal-Hall, Hann and Bradshaw v Google Inc [2014] EWHC 13 (QB)
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<span lang="EN-US">Mr Justice Tugendhat recently handed down <a href="http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2014/13.html" target="_blank">this decision</a> in the UK High Court (Queen’s Bench Division) recognizing the
existence in the UK of a tort of misuse of private information. Recognition of
such a tort is the culmination of many years of the UK courts considering how
best to deal with issues of what are essentially invasions of privacy,
particularly cases dealing with celebrities, and distorting the concept of
breach of confidence in order to accommodate such cases.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A number of matters were considered in the
case but this note will focus on the key issue of the recognition of a tort of
misuse of private information.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This case concerned claims brought by three
users of Google in the UK who alleged that Google had misused their private
information and acted in breach of confidence and their statutory duties under
the Data Protection Act 1998 by tracking and collating information relating to
the Claimants' internet usage using the Safari browser in 2011/ 2012, such as which web
sites they visited, how frequently they visited the sites, how long they spent
on the site and in what order sites were visited. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The essence of their claim is
that Google collected information from their computers, and other internet
enabled devices, regarding their browsing habits. Each Claimant specified in a
Confidential Schedule their individual personal characteristics, interests,
wishes and ambitions, which they used as the basis of the claim that ‘they
suffered distress, when they learnt that such matters were forming the basis
for advertisements targeted at them, or when they learnt that, as a result of
such targeted advertisements, such matters had in fact, or might well have,
come to the knowledge of third parties who they had permitted to use their
devices, or to view their screens.’ [at 22] The Claimants' damage is based upon the
harm caused to them by the fact that their apparent interests (deduced from
their browsing habits) were used to target advertising to them which disclosed
certain information about them based on those interests as evidenced in their
online habits. Those advertisements, and the personal information that they
disclosed, may have or had been viewed by third parties viewing the claimants’
devices. [at 23] Tugendhat J noted [at 24] whilst targeted advertisements which
merely reveal the employment of the user may not cause any damage ‘if the
targeted advertisements apparently reveal other information about the users,
whether about their personalities, or their immediate plans or ambitions, then
if these matters are sensitive, or related to protected characteristics (eg
beliefs), or to secret wishes or ambitions, then the fear that others who see
the screen may find out those matters, and act upon what they have seen, may
well be worrying and distressing.’ Whilst all of the Claimants claimed acute
distress and anxiety, none of them claimed to have suffered any discrimination
or other direct harm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>(It should be noted that the conduct
engaged in by Google during the relevant time had since been discontinued, due
to regulatory sanctions brought by the United States Federal Trade Commission,
which were settled in August 2012 and US state based consumer actions brought
by US State Attorneys-General on behalf of 37 US states and the District of
Columbia).</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In order to satisfy the
requirements of the service out rules, the Claimants framed their argument on a
number of grounds, including tort. With respect to this claim, Google argued
that the cause of action based on misuse of private information/ breach of
confidence was not a tort, that no significant physical or economic harm was
suffered by the Claimants and the act complained of was not committed in the
jurisdiction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The issue of whether the claim was based in
tort is of most relevance to the consideration of the evolution of the privacy
tort. Tugendhat J asserted [at 58] that it was clear that a claim for breach of
confidence is not a claim in tort, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kitetechnology
BV v Unicor GmbH Plastmaschinen</i> [1995] FSR at 777-778. [52] However, the
position may be different with respect to misuse of private information, as
aluded to in <i>Vestergaard Frandsen A/S v Bestnet Europe Ltd</i> [2009] EWHC 1456
(Ch) where Arnold J stated [at 19] that whilst breach of confidence in not a
tort (citing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kitetechnology</i>) ‘Misuse
of private information may stand in a different position’ (citing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Campbell v MGN</i> [2004] 2 AC 457 at [14]).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tugendhat J then cited directly from Lord
Nicholls in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Campbell</i>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">‘This cause of
action has now firmly shaken off the limiting constraint of the need for an
initial confidential relationship. In doing so it has changed its nature. In
this country this development was recognized clearly in the judgment of Lord Goff
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chiveley in Attorney-General v
Guardian Newspapers Ltd (No 2) </i>[1990] 1 AC 109, 281. Now the law imposes a
'duty of confidence' whenever a person receives information he knows or ought
to know is fairly and reasonably to be regarded as confidential. Even this
formulation is awkward. The continuing use of the phrase 'duty of confidence'
and the description of the information as 'confidential' is not altogether
comfortable. Information about an individual's private life would not, in
ordinary usage, be called 'confidential'. The more natural description today is
that such information is private. The essence of the tort is better
encapsulated now as misuse of private information." (emphasis added)’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tugendhat J then considered the complexity
of issues surrounding the recognition of such a tort in the context of other
decisions and the question of service out of jurisdiction. He observed that the
privacy tort and the equitable action of breach of confidence, although
related, should be treated separately, citing </span>Lord Nicholls in <i>OBG Ltd v Allan and Douglas v Hello!</i> [2008] 1 AC 1 at para [255]: "As the law has developed breach of confidence, or misuse of confidential information, now covers two distinct causes of action, protecting two different interests: privacy, and secret ("confidential") information. It is important to keep these two distinct." [at 67] Tugendhat J further bolsters his recognition of the tort of misuse of private information [at 68] noting:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span> </span>‘there have since been a number of cases in which misuse of private information has been referred to as a tort consistently with <i>OBG</i> and these cannot be dismissed as all errors in the use of the words 'tort''</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After this consideration Tugendhat J concludes
[at 70] ‘that the tort of misuse of private information is a tort within the
meaning of ground 3.1(9).’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With respect to the breach of confidence
claim however, Tugendhat J concludes that he is ‘bound by the decision in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kitetechnology</i> to hold that the claim
for breach of confidence is not a tort.’ [71].</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Further consideration was then given to the
question as to whether the Claimants had suffered any recognizable and relevant
damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tugendhat J concluded that
damages for ‘distress are recoverable in a claim for misuse of private
information, eg <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mosley v New Group
Newspapers Ltd</i> [2008] EMLR 679.’ Therefore the Claimants’ claim for damage
fell within the requirements of the rules relating to service out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On the question of whether the information
was private, it was submitted on behalf of Google that the information
collected about the Claimants browsing habits was anonymous and not private:
‘The aggregation of such information sent to separate websites and advertising
services cannot make it private information. One hundred times zero is zero, so
one hundred pieces of non-private information cannot become private information
when collected together.’ [115] Tugendhat J rejected this approach, noting that
Google would not have gone to effort to collect and collate this information
unless it resulted in something of value. Further, the fact that Google
personnel do not themselves identify or recognize the identity of people from
whom the data is collected. At some point the Claimant becomes identifiable as
a result of the collation and use of the information, in this case, at the
point where the targeted advertisements become visible on their screen by a
third party. Tugendhat J conceded that not all of the generated information
would give rise to claims of privacy, in the individual cases the particular
types of information identified by the Claimants was private information. (‘These
are not generic complaints. They are complaints about particular information
about particular individuals, displayed on particular occasions (even though
the precise dates and times of the occasions are not identified)’ [at 119].</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The novel aspect of this case is the final
recognition of a separate tort of misuse of private information. This has evolved
in the UK as a consequence of the distortion of the breach of confidence action
and the UK Human Rights Act, which required a change of approach to the
balancing of various interests in the disclosure and protection of personal
information. This certainly would not reflect the situation under Australian
law, where the privacy tort has evolved no further than the glimmer in the eye
of the High Court in <i>Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Lenah Game Meats </i>in 2001. Of course, in Australia the ALRC is still considering the i<a href="http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/invasions-privacy-ip43" target="_blank">ntroduction of a tort for serious invasion of privacy</a>.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-7493026415461532652014-01-14T22:39:00.002-08:002014-01-14T22:40:04.860-08:00Media & Arts Law Review: December 2013 The new issue of Media & Arts Law Review (December 2013) is out!<br />
<br />
Great articles on a diversity of topics:<br />
<br />
Articles by:<br />
Rebecca Giblin:<i> Was the High Court in iiNet right to be chary of a common law graduated response?</i><br />
Catherine Bond: <i>Commonwealth v WikiLeaks: Fairfax revisited</i><br />
Susan Corbett: <i>The case for joint ownership of copyright in photographs of identifiable persons</i><br />
Angela Daly:<i>E-book monopolies and the law</i><br />
<br />
Case note: Michael Douglas: <i>A broad reading of WA's Shield Laws</i><br />
Hong Kong Media Law Update: Anne Cheung: <i>A Study of Online Forum Liabilities for defamation: Hong Kong Court in Internet Fever in Oriental Press Group Ltd v Fevaworks Solution Ltd</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/cmcl/publications/media-and-arts-law-review">http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/cmcl/publications/media-and-arts-law-review</a><br />
<br />
Submissions for 2014 can be sent to <a href="mailto:melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au">melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au</a>Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-63396938810262353502013-12-17T03:40:00.000-08:002013-12-17T03:40:46.217-08:00Oxford-UNSW Copyright Scholars Roundtable: Exceptions reform: fair use for Australia?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A number of copyright scholars enjoyed a day of copyright reform related discussion thanks to Michael Handler (UNSW) and Emily Hudson (Oxford) at UNSW Law School on 17 December 2013. I opened the discussion on the question of fair use, and set out my brief speaking notes below: (A fully developed paper will follow)</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The ALRC <a href="http://www.alrc.gov.au/inquiries/copyright-and-digital-economy" target="_blank">Final Report on Copyright and the Digital Environment </a>was presented to the Government on 29 November 2013. The
Attorney-General, <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F0079e0e5-e868-49d0-99d6-4be680886bd3%2F0096%22" target="_blank">Senator George Brandis has confirmed</a> that the Final Report recommends the
introduction a ‘broad flexible exception for fair use’. The full Report must be
tabled before Parliament by February 2014 and a Government response to the
Report should be forthcoming some time in 2014. However, the Attorney-General
has already indicated that he does not support significant changes to the
copyright law which would restrict the rights of copyright owners:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">‘The
government’s response to the ALRC report will be informed by the view that the
rights of content owners and content creators ought not to be lessened and that
they are entitled to continue to benefit from their intellectual property.’</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The question that I would like to ask is
why and how the introduction of a fair use exception would in fact lessen the
rights of owners or prevent them from continuing to benefit from their intellectual property (in
this case copyright)?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Leaving aside the example of the US which
has a fair use law and seems to still be enabling copyright owners to make
enough money to get by (!), other jurisdictions have more open ended exceptions
to copyright, so fair use should not be seen as open slather for unremunerated
uses.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Fair use can and should be cast in such a
way that it reflects the balance of interests in copyright.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I have been considering the Canadian
example: where despite significant legislative reform which declined to
introduce a fair use exception, the Supreme Court has re-crafted fair dealing
so it is in effect a fair use law. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Such an approach would build upon the
decisions of the Canadian Supreme Court in <i><a href="http://scc-csc.lexum.com/decisia-scc-csc/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1973/index.do" target="_blank">Théberge v. Galerie d’Art du Petit Champlain inc.</a></i>, [2002] 2 S.C.R. 336, 2002 SCC 34 and <a href="http://scc-csc.lexum.com/decisia-scc-csc/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/2125/index.do" target="_blank"><i>CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada</i>,</a> [2004] 1 S.C.R. 339, 2004 SCC 13<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> which recognized that the
Copyright Act contained a ‘balance between promoting the public interest in the
encouragement and dissemination of works of the arts and intellect and
obtaining a just reward for the creator’ and that this required a recognition
of the limits on the rights of the copyright owner clearly articulating fair
use as user’s rights.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In <a href="http://scc-csc.lexum.com/decisia-scc-csc/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/9997/index.do" target="_blank">Alberta v Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency </a>(one of five copyright cases handed
down on 12 July 2012) the Supreme Court held that previews on iTunes were fair
dealing, stating that: ‘One of the tools employed to achieve the proper balance
between protection and access in the Act is the concept of fair dealing, which
allows users to engage in some activities that might otherwise amount to
copyright infringement. In order to maintain the proper balance between these
interests, the fair dealing provision must not be interpreted restrictively.’</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The Court continued:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">‘an important goal of fair dealing is to
allow users to employ copyrighted works in a way that helps them engage in
their own acts of authorship and creativity’.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/6842/125/" target="_blank">As Michael Geist</a> has argued, this decision
paves the way for a more 'principles based' approach to fair dealing which effectively
transforms it into a law more akin to fair use. The Canadian experience may provide a good model for Australian reform in this area.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Therefore I contend that a fair use law may
be crafted and interpreted in a way that does not represent a challenge to the
rights of owners, but rather better reflects the balance underlying copyright
law. The approach articulated above by the Attorney-General should not
necessarily prevent the introduction of a fair use style defence.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-28285938442548681442013-12-11T04:16:00.001-08:002013-12-11T04:16:32.379-08:00Julian Assange: Hero or Villain, a binary choice<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is a transcript of my presentation to the </span><a href="http://law.anu.edu.au/conferences/interpellations" target="_blank">Law, Literature & the Humanities Association of Australasia: Interpellations Conference</a> (5-7 December 2013)<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is a difficult
issue to write on definitively as the war on whistleblowers is being played out
as we speak. Just a few days ago, the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3898709.htm" target="_blank">ABC was lambasted </a>for reporting the news
of the bugging of the mobile phones of the Indonesian President and his wife.
Similarly, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/time-for-assange-to-face-facts/story-e6frg71x-1226772523060" target="_blank">The Australian recently ran a facile editorial </a>calling for Julian Assange to leave the Ecuadorian
Embassy, ‘now the US Justice Department has made clear it has no intention of
prosecuting’ him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I have chosen to
discuss this war in the context of two recent major movies: <i>We Steal Secrets</i>
and <i>The Fifth Estate</i>. I want to consider whether the vilification of Assange
occurring in the context of the fictionalised movie, <i>The Fifth Estate</i>, is
balanced out by the ‘documentary’ of <i>We Steal Secrets</i>? Unfortunately both
movies were based on biased sources and both were ultimately more concerned
with telling an entertaining story that telling the truth. Further, not enough
is reported about the facts to enable the audience to distinguish fact from
fiction, but viewers will be left with the feeling that it has.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">We have also witnessed
a bizarre and unquestioned merger of fact and fiction. For example, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/oct/08/benedict-cumberbatch-julian-assange-david-cameronhttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/oct/08/benedict-cumberbatch-julian-assange-david-cameron" target="_blank">The Guardian reported that</a>, interviewed
on ITV’s <i>The Agend</i>a in October 2013, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron,
was asked to review <i>The Fifth Estate</i>. Observing that he had ‘managed to see the
first part of the film’, the PM told The Agenda that Benedict Cumberbatch, who
plays Assange, was ‘brilliant, fantastic piece of acting. The twitchiness and
everything of Julian Assange is brilliantly portrayed.’ However, he then goes
beyond a review of the film and the strange merger of fact and fiction begins
in earnest. Cameron, and remember he has admitted to seeing only the ‘first
part’ of the film, states: ‘he felt uneasy that in the film Assange appears to
be more concerned about the fate of people who leaked documents to WikiLeaks –
an apparent reference to Chelsea Manning – rather than people whose security
may have been jeopardised by the leaks.’ In this swipe, Cameron dismissed very
real concerns for Manning’s wellbeing as well as confusing, in his own and the
readers’ minds the film and reality. Cameron continues: ‘There is an
interesting<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bit at the beginning
when he says some of these documents are confidential, people’s lives are at
risk and of course he is thinking of the people who have leaked them. Actually,
you also need to think about the people whose lives are at risk because they have
been leaked. In the bit of the film I saw that didn’t come out enough. But it
makes you think.’ Later in the same interview, the PM is asked his views
regarding the leaking of NSA documents by Edward Snowden and the suggestion
that the UK Government was snooping on its citizens. He replied: ‘We have very
good rules in this country. If a telephone call is going to be listened into
that has to be signed off by the home secretary personally. There are very good
safeguards in place.’ The merger of fact and fiction is complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">So what is the model
for <i>The Fifth Estate</i>? The whistleblower film is not a new genre, and there is a
large number of films and books where the whistleblower is the hero, including
John Le Carre’s recent book <i>A Delicate Truth</i>, which examines the story of Toby
Bell: ‘the most feared creature of our contemporary world: a solitary decider.’
In the majority of these works, the whistleblower is celebrated as the hero.
Such stories include: All The President’s Men (1976), The China Syndrome (1979),
Silkwood (1983), The Whistleblower (1987), The Insider (1999), The Constant
Gardner (2005), The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the
Pentagon Papers (2009), The Whistleblower (2010) and Fair Game (2010).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">However, these hero
stories are not the model for <i>The Fifth Estate</i>. Rather,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would locate it more directly in the
‘dangerous geek’ genre, akin to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Social Network</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jobs</i>. Again,
the temptation in these films is to depict the neurotic, anti-social geek as
the person who uses up and ultimately abandons his friends. Steve Jobs is shown
as effective in starting up the business, based on Wozniak’s computing skills,
but he ruthlessly exploits and then abandons the friends who helped him build
the first Apples in his parents’ garage. In <i>The Social Network,</i> Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is also shown as exploiting carelessly those around him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I like a good ‘hero
story’ as much as the next person. However, I believe it is dangerous and
misleading to reduce the WikiLeaks story down to a good versus evil showdown.
This is particularly the case when the story is still playing out and still has
a very real set of consequences for vulnerable people, including Manning, Assange
and now of course, Snowden. The exhortation to Assange to exit the Embassy
cited above must be considered in the context of real life rather than dramatic
consequences. This is not a new development in a movie plot line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><i>The Fifth Estate</i> is
preoccupied with the question of whether Assange is good or evil, as is <i>We
Steal Secrets</i>. Both start from the angle that Assange could be a hero, and then
expose him as paranoid, delusional and worst of all, uncaring by the end of the
film. He loses his humanity to the machine. The technology of leaking literally
becomes more important than the alleged lives at stake, but this is all done in the cause of narrative development and dramatic tension, rather than accuracy and truth. Yes these films are meant to entertain, but as the discussion above demonstrates, this is not the way it may be interpreted by audiences, who perceive it as an accurate portrayal of events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Assange and others,
such as Geoffrey Robertson, have recognised the dangers lurking in
‘fictionalised’ accounts such as <i>The Fifth Estate</i>. There was a well-publicised
exchange between Assange and Benedict Cumberbatch online and reported in <i><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/sep/13/benedict-cumberbatch-julian-assange-wikileaks" target="_blank">The Guardian</a></i> (which it must be remembered is a key player in and source of the
content for <i>The Fifth Estate</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Assange’s <a href="http://wikileaks.org/First-Letter-from-Julian-Assange.html" target="_blank">letter to Cumberbatch</a> included the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">‘The bond that
develops between an actor and a living subject is significant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">If the film reaches
distribution we will forever be correlated in the public imagination. Our paths
will forever be entwined. Each of us will be granted standing to comment on the
other for many years to come and others will compare our characters and
trajectories.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Assange continues:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">‘Feature films are the most powerful and insidious shapers of public
perception, because they fly under the radar of conscious exclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This film is going to bury good people doing good work, at exactly the
time that the state is coming down on their heads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It is going to smother the truthful version of events, at a time when
the truth is on most demand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">As justification it will claim to be fiction, but it is not fiction. It
is distorted truth about living people doing battle with titanic opponents. It
is a work of political opportunism, influence, revenge and, above all,
cowardice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It seeks to ride on the back of our work, our reputation and our
struggles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It seeks to cut our strength with weakness. To cut affection with
exploitation. To cut diligence with paranoia. To cut loyalty with naivety. To
cut principle with hypocrisy. And above all, to cut the truth with lies.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Cumberbatch’s response
to Assange was discussed in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/14/benedict-cumberbatch-interview-fifth-estate" target="_blank">another Guardian article,</a> again breathlessly and
heedlessly merging discussion of the film and real life politics, regardless of
Cumberbatch’s status as an actor. (In fact the writer of the article admits to
‘a moment of genuine confusion’ when she thought she ‘was about to meet Assange
himself.’).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The article provides a
summary from Cumberbatch regarding what his response to Assange’s email was:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">‘I don’t want to go into any great detail, but it took me four hours and
the central thrust was: this is not documentary, this is not a legally
admissible piece of evidence in a court of law, it’s not going to alter
perception in a way that is actually politically going to damage you at all.
People who will come to see this film will be savvy enough to see it as what it
is; it’s a starting point,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that
should both provoke and entertain. It will be a talking point, but your life,
your private life, your persona, is fatefully intertwined with your mission –
it cannot not be now. And to be honest, I think the sort of general perspective
on you is still echoing from the kind of character assassinations that began
way back when, with the initial leaks, and that is now heightened by the
accusations of sexual misconduct in Sweden, and so you’re known as this
white-haired Australian weirdo wanted for rape in Sweden who’s holed up behind
Harrods in some embassy. So the misinformation about you is already there.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There is some discussion
of Cumberbatch’s thoughts on Assange’s childhood and the impact this might have
had on his personality and mental state. And then, as with the interview with
Cameron discussed above, the article moves to Cumberbatch’s attitudes to
‘cyber-whistleblowers’ including WikiLeaks and Snowden, which we are told are
‘decidedly ambivalent’: ‘He is alarmed by revelations of mass surveillance by
the NSA and GCHQ, and doesn’t like the idea of anyone reading his private
emails…but then adds, “Oh, but you might have stopped me from being killed on a
tube I took last Wednesday. If they are saving lives, how can we say that’s
less important than civil liberties?...”’. Whilst interesting in a general
sense, why are we presented with Cumberbatch’s views on these important issues
as if he is an authoritative source?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Geoffrey Robertson in his recent essay expressed the view in an essay that Assange’s withdrawal from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his autobiography project actually left
the field open to negative portrayals of him and his work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">He also identifies
several critical inaccuracies in the film which are important to the purported
balance of its portrayal of events relevant to the major leaks. For example, in
a moment of dramatic tension, the fictitious diplomat, played by Laura Linney,
is involved in an attempt to extract a source from Libya. This plotline has
clearly been included in the film to provide some human face to the leaks.
However, as Robertson points out, it could never have happened in the context
of the leaks of the diplomatic cables provided by Chelsea Manning. Manning did
not have access to the level of intel ('top' or 'ultra' secret sources which would have placed the 'source' at risk as portrayed in the movie) (see Geoffrey Robertson, <i>Dreaming Too Loud</i>, 2013).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">As Robertson states,
there is no blood on WikiLeaks hands as a result of the leaks: 'The Fifth Estate will be propaganda if it propagates the lie that Assange has blood on his hands, and that Bradley Manning (who does not appear in the movie, although if 'Cablegate' has a hero, it is he) deserved the severe punishment (thirty-five years in prison) that he received.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">All of this discussion
needs to be placed in the context of the mainstream media’s hostility (at
worst) or ambivalence (at best) about whistleblowing. Despite the amendment of
Australian whistleblowing laws in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth),
the whistleblowing actions of Manning and Snowden would not have been protected
under that legislation had they occurred in Australia on the basis that the
secrets they revealed (ie in part that the US Government is spying on everyone)
is authorised by law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The importance of
these issues cannot be overstated. At a time when we should as a society be
considering the consequences of the revelations that our communications, our
networks of friends and families, our personal and supposedly private
interactions, are considered fair game by democratically elected governments
worldwide, we are, instead of interrogating these governments, turning on the
whistleblowers. In Australia recently, revelations that Australia had tapped
the phones of the Indonesian President and his wife, were met not with questions
regarding how and why this was happening, but attacks upon the ABC for
reporting on this scandal as it was ‘not news’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">We need to ask the big
questions. Manning, Snowden, Assange and others have placed their lives and
liberty on the line in order to tell us about the mass surveillance not only
possible but occurring world wide, and all we seem to be able to do with this
information, is to characterise them as misfits (and either mad or evil ones at
that) which somehow saves us from having to deal with the difficult
re-examination of ourselves that needs to be done in the wake of the
revelations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-85979368784716743052013-11-25T19:07:00.001-08:002013-11-25T19:07:19.561-08:00The Fifth Estate: the World vs Assange
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Bram has finally got around to seeing <i>The Fifth
Estate</i>. No small attraction of this movie was of course the fabulous Benedict
Cumberbatch who plays Julian Assange, but Bram has concluded Benedict is better
as Khan (no spoilers for those of you who haven't seen <i>Star Trek Into Darkness,</i>
which you should).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Anyway, back to <i>The Fifth Estate:</i> an interesting but
ultimately unsatisfying movie. Unfortunately the film suffers from being old
media’s take on new media, whilst it manages to highlight the importance of new
media ventures such as WikiLeaks, it really suggests that such projects are
petulant children and until they grow up and learn some manners, they should be
looked after by their older siblings who know the rules of the game. It doesn’t
really tackle the real issue of whether existing media is serving its purpose
of exposing the truth or whether it is now in the capture of government and big
business. It never tackles the question of why whistleblowers turn to
organizations such as WikiLeaks rather than established media. Ultimately of
course <i>The Fifth Estate</i> descends into a good versus evil battle: is Assange a
hero or a villain? Rather than focus on the big questions of surveillance,
privacy, big data and what role is the media playing in keeping an eye on the
other three estates, we are again preoccupied with the question of personality.
Yet again, we get a gratuitous scene of Assange dancing…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The film is told from the perspective of Daniel
Domscheit-Berg (played in the movie by Daniel Brühl), one time admirer of, and
collaborator with, Assange. The film is based upon Berg’s book <i>Inside
WikiLeaks</i>, a book highly critical of Assange (unsurprising since they had a
falling out and Assange suspended and then excluded Berg from WikiLeaks) and
the WikiLeaks book written by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke
Harding, who also had a falling out with Assange during the publication of the
war logs and US Embassy cables over the questions of redaction and matters of
trust. Unsurprisingly therefore it tracks Berg's gradual disillusionment
with Assange and his exclusion from WikiLeaks. The film deals only
tangentially with Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning and mentions the sexual assault
allegations and detention of Assange at the conclusion of the film in text boxes.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The film operates in the style of having various
characters act as the mouthpiece for various points of view. Berg’s girlfriend
(Anke played by Alicia Vikander) is very much the voice of conscience. We see
her reminding Berg that people may be hurt as a result of the leaks, that the
people named in the logs have families too. In the movie, she is a catalyst for
Berg’s determination to stand up to Assange over the question of redaction, and
ultimately bears responsibility for breaking up the band. She plays the role of
“moral person”, she respects the value of the work being done by WikiLeaks but
believes this does not justify any personal costs to her, Berg or anyone else.
She also reminds Berg that Assange is a “manipulative asshole”, implying he has
been corrupted by power and has gone bad (or mad or whatever). Daniel is the "everyman" character, motivated by conscience, generous, trusting and ultimately denounced
by Assange when he stands up to him about the redactions (though Berg is shown still working
“selflessly” behind the scenes to shut down access to the WikiLeaks server while Assange is presenting to the media).
Nick Davies (David Thewlis) from the Guardian represents the “good media”. He
has several set pieces where he tells us the viewer about the role of the
media. At one crucial point he warns Assange: “you need to be careful how the
story is published”. He claims that he is working on an angle to paint the
leaks as the next Pentagon Papers, and that the future of Assange, WikiLeaks
and Manning depends on this. It is at this point of the film that a key question
comes into play: what is the role of WikiLeaks as an organization: to publish
the truth, to protect whistleblowers, is it a source or a media organization?
Different points of view on this are represented by different characters, but
Davies is shown as trying to assist WikiLeaks in obtaining “legitimacy”. This
is a contentious (and generous) characterization of how the Guardian has
actually treated Assange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Added to the narrative provided by the Berg and
Guardian books, the film includes a misleading side story about a US diplomat
concerned to protect her source in Libya when the US Embassy cables are
published. As Geoffrey Robertson has pointed out, this scene ‘could never have
happened as a result of Cablegate’ as Manning did not have access to ‘top’ or
‘ultra’ secret sources (<i>Dreaming Too Loud</i>, "Assange in Ecuador", 2013). Further,
any claims that WikiLeaks had blood on it's hands with respect to Cablegate
have been refuted, and there is no evidence that there have been any casualties
as a result of the Embassy Cable leaks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The fictional diplomat, (Under Secretary of State
Sarah Shaw played by Laura Linney) who is initially impressed by the work of
WikiLeaks leaves us with the poignant comment that she is not sure who will be
judged more harshly by history: her or Asange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">This is of course a film about truth and lies. Big
lies told by governments, banks and corporations and small lies we tell one
another. We are ultimately made to feel more concerned about the “lies” that
Assange has told Berg, such as the fact that WikiLeaks is run by hundreds of
volunteers, than the lies the US Government is telling its own citizens on a
daily basis. If Assange is not 100% truthful and personally beyond reproach,
then the suggestion seems to be, we cannot respect his work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It is also about loyalty and trust. Assange
explains early on to Berg that he works alone as “you don’t get far relying on
others”. A key moment in the film is when Assange learns of the assassination
of his Kenyan sources, he feels he has let them down because he did not get
their story enough publicity to protect them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Throughout the film we are drip fed strange
elements from Assange’s past in pieces that feel quite staged (teenage hacking,
being on the run from his mother’s ex, his University education): in the tone of “you need to know this
about Assange because it explains why he is quite mad so try not to hold it
against him!”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">There is also a thematic obsession with the colour
of his hair, various explanations are given by Assange to different people
about traumatic events that turned his hair white. Then at the conclusion of
the film we are shown Assange dying his hair (a habit it is implied started
with the Family and their practice of forcing all children to dye their hair
blonde). But again, this is done in the context of presenting Assange as a liar
(references are also made to his hacker tag of Mendax).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Throughout the film Assange is presented as a
damaged character, but in the end this does not seem to be enough to redeem
him, which is what the film so desperately wants. He has to be after all a hero
or a villain, he cannot be neutral, human, conflicted. He is painted as an
egomaniac and it is this ego which ultimately undoes him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The film ends with some straight to camera pieces
from Assange, apparently from inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, which again are
clumsy attempts to encapsulate key points of view, but they become awkward in
their lack of connection to the drama which has preceded this conclusion. They
do not vindicate, rather they ostracise the viewer even further from Assange. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It is a shame that the film, which does so well in visualizing
the new power of data, did not present a more balanced view of the
personalities involved. Assange has denounced the project and it is worth
looking at the<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/09/julian-assange-benedict-cumberbatch-letter"> email exchange</a> between <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/14/benedict-cumberbatch-interview-fifth-estate">Cumberbatch</a> and Assange regarding characterization
of Assange and Cumberbatch’s participation in the film. See also <a href="http://wikileaks.org/IMG/html/wikileaks-dreamworks-memo.html#about">WikiLeaks comments</a> on the script.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It is time we move beyond personality and take up
the bigger questions provoked by the leaks: how long are we content to sit by
and let the media numb us into accepting massive scale surveillance? </span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-597755724902059162013-09-16T18:58:00.000-07:002013-09-16T18:58:26.954-07:00Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: Legal and Governance ChallengesThe latest issue of <a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/issue/view/258">Journal of Virtual Worlds Research </a>is hot off the (virtual) press. Over the past twelve months, virtual world gurus Dan Hunter and Greg Lastowka and I have assembled a diverse collection of virtual world and law pieces. Notably it is also the ten year anniversary of Lastowka & Hunter's "The Laws of the Virtual Worlds" (2004) California Law Review 92(1) (<a href="http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1345&context=californialawreview">available here</a>). The collection shows us how large this area of study has now become and how much work there reamins for us to do and virtual places to explore. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
The collection consists of:<br />
<h3 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(199, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 15px !important; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.75em;">
Table of Contents</h3>
<h4 class="tocSectionTitle" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0em 1em 0.25em 0em; padding-top: 0.75em;">
Managing Editor Corner</h4>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7095" style="color: #42516c;">What Should Atomic and BITonic Learn from Each Other?</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7095/6331" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Yesha Sivan</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(199, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.5em; line-height: 0; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 770px;">
</div>
<h4 class="tocSectionTitle" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0em 1em 0.25em 0em; padding-top: 0.75em;">
Issue Editors' Corner</h4>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7093" style="color: #42516c;">Editorial</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7093/6329" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Melissa de Zwart, Dan Hunter, Greg Lastowka</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(199, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.5em; line-height: 0; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 770px;">
</div>
<h4 class="tocSectionTitle" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0em 1em 0.25em 0em; padding-top: 0.75em;">
Peer Reviewed Research Papers</h4>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/6361" style="color: #42516c;">Authorship in Virtual Worlds: Author's Death to Rights Revival?</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/6361/6324" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Sergio Roncallo-Dow, Enrique Uribe-Jongbloed, Kim Barker, Tobias M Scholz</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 36px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/6409" style="color: #42516c;">Evaluating Consent and Legitimacy Amongst Shifting Community Norms: an EVE Online Case Study</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/6409/6325" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Nicolas Suzor, Darryl Woodford</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7056" style="color: #42516c;">The Iron Law</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7056/6328" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">William Sims Bainbridge</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7039" style="color: #42516c;">Blazing Trails: A New Way Forward for Virtual Currencies and Money Laundering</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7039/6330" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Michael P. Bombace</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table class="tocArticle" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7028" style="color: #42516c;">Dutch Supreme Court 2012: Virtual Theft Ruling a One-off or first in a Series?</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7028/6326" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Arno R. Lodder</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
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<tr valign="top"><td class="tocTitle" style="height: 18px; width: 537px;"><a href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7040" style="color: #42516c;">Magic Modders: Alter Art, Ambiguity, and the Ethics of Prosumption</a></td><td class="tocGalleys" style="text-align: right; width: 229px;"><a class="file" href="http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/7040/6327" style="color: #42516c; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase;">PDF</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tocAuthors" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 30px; vertical-align: top;">Aaron Trammell</td><td class="tocPages" style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
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<br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-78017069886480326832013-07-05T01:06:00.001-07:002013-07-05T01:06:31.264-07:00Alex Gibney's We Steal Secrets: anti-Assange propaganda (again)In May I was invited to a preview showing of Alex Gibney's <i>We Steal Secrets</i> by Universal Pictures. In the interests of full disclosure, I was also invited to speak at a Q and A session hosted by ABC Radio Adelaide following a screening of the film in late June (so I have seen the film twice). Naively I believed that as a documentary, the film would depict not only the fascinating story of WikiLeaks, but also the astonishing bravery of those involved in the key leaks, especially Julian Assange and Bradley Manning. As it turned out, the film was a testament to the suffering of Bradley Manning, although it seems to reduce his motivations for leaking material to the consequences of sending a gender-confused loner to FOB Hammer in Iraq, rather than the motivations of a human being faced with exposure to horrific evidence of the actions of his own country in a time of war. For a more detailed analysis of and background to Manning's motivations, see Chase Madar's <i>The Passion of Bradley Manning,</i> and Manning's own opening statement from his trial. As for Julian Assange, the film goes to some effort to build up the viewer's admiration for Assange as a highly intelligent and strongly motivated digital activist at the beginning of the film, only to dramatically tear this down (as if it was an illusion or sham) half way through the film. Through selective use of interview subjects, editing and footage Assange is portrayed as strangely (and unnecessarily) paranoid, vain and power obsessed. I can only hope that people seeing this film without a strong background in what actually happened will be able to see through these storytelling devices.<br />
<br />
On all of these points I would suggest you read Robert Manne's excellent <a href="http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/july/1372600800/robert-manne/we-steal-secrets-alex-gibney-wikileaks-julian-assange">review of the film in The Monthly</a>, together with the <a href="http://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/robert-manne/2013/07/01/1372650669/we-steal-secrets-response-alex-gibney">later version with annotated comments</a>, where Manne exchanges views with the film's director, Alex Gibney.
I agree with Manne's comments and responses, and share his concerns with the limitations of the film. I would also add a few of my own (some of these are expressed elsewhere and I would also refer you to <a href="http://justice4assange.com/IMG/html/gibney-transcript.html">WikiLeaks annotated transcript</a> of the film, also referred to by Manne and Gibney).<br />
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First, the title of the movie: <i>We Steal Secrets</i>, is a quote from former CIA/NSA director Michael Hayden, not from WikiLeaks.
Why no-one seems to be at all concerned with the fact that the <i><b>US Government admits to stealing secrets</b></i> is beyond me. The revelations of Edward Snowden seem to have attracted a similarly distorted publicity: Snowden "stole" secrets from the NSA: if his claims are true (and I have no reason to doubt they are given that every Hollywood movie I have ever seen takes it as a given that the CIA, NSA and other three letter organisations are monitoring citizens all of the time) then whose secrets was Snowden stealing? By my calculations, he was just claiming them back again. So the title raises an important issue, but its implications are misleading. WikiLeaks was not claiming to steal secrets: it provides an anonymous publications outlet for whistleblowers: there is a difference.<br />
<br />
Gibney seems very preoccupied with proving that Assange is paranoid, power hungry and deluded regarding his need for privacy. His exchange with Manne suggests that Assange is overly concerned about the Grand Jury indictment (which Gibney is not convinced even exists). At no time does Gibney present the alternative explanation which could also be drawn from the very footage he shows: Assange was thrust unaided and unsupported into the limelight with the media publication of the leaks. The movie does not show a person who wanted and demanded that limelight, but rather a person transitioning from a very private life to a very public one. Was Assange ready for it? No, but who would be? Rather than admiring himself, I felt Assange appeared very uncomfortable with all of the attention, but was willing to be there to present the message (but again, as a society we fixate on the messenger). And Assange was justified in his reticence, the mainstream media essentially then hung him out to dry (along with WikiLeaks): thanks for the copy now you are on your own!! There is no empathy at all for the personal difficulty that this must have caused Assange and no consideration of the long term impact it has had on Assange to accept the burden of publishing the leaks. If Assange is so hungry to be the public face of WikiLeaks then it must be accepted he has also paid an enormous price.<br />
<br />
The listening device found this week at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London may also raise some questions about whether Assange's privacy fears are paranoid?<br />
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I also very much doubt Gibney's arguments that Assange is under no real threat regarding the possible extradition to the US from Sweden. I disagree absolutely with his interpretation of what Sweden has said ("if the charges are political (such as the Espionage Act) many countries-including Sweden - would refuse to extradite him." I AM a lawyer and that is NOT how I would interpret what Sweden or Judge Lindskog have said: <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national-news/julian-assange-safe-from-extradition-to-us-says-justice-stefan-lindskog/story-fncynjr2-1226612062993">"What is classified under US law is probably not classified under Swedish law, and enemies to the US may not be enemies to Sweden,</a>'' he said. That is a rather big PROBABLY. Would you take the risk?<br />
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Another takeaway from the movie seemed to be that WikiLeaks (read Assange) failed Manning, leaving him to fall prey to the 'confessor and journalist' Adrian Lamo. Little is made about Lamo's entrapment of Manning (and his outright dishonesty) rather we are gently led through a series of implications that WikiLeaks enticed, entrapped and then used Manning. Certainly the complexities of anonymity create some unanticipated problems. We see these in the film in Manning's need to reach out, unfortunately to Lamo, who betrays him. However, WikiLeaks and Assange did not have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and an in-house psychologist when opening up the anonymous drop box. Much is made of the 2009 Most Wanted Leaks and the encouragement of leakers to respond to that call. Thanks Gibney, you can do all of the work for the US prosecutors.<br />
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I was also annoyed by some of the gratuitous comments made about Assange and his "cheap suits" and "$300 laptops": why is this relevant? Here is a person who has dedicated themselves to a public cause, and we have to worry about what they are wearing: oh please! A further gratuitous scene shows Assange dancing at a nightclub (the sub text being that Assange dances while Manning is detained in horrendous conditions), really this grates as an irrelevance at best. The film also repeats those claims about Assange being scruffy and unwashed during the days when the Afghan War Logs were being produced for publication, these comments coming from the journos who were happy to take the major leaks to sell their newspapers and then stabbed WikiLeaks in the back. For Gibney it seems that Assange must be saint or sinner, and never a human being, in order to be defensible.<br />
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My most serious concern regarding the film is not actually the film itself. It is, as a piece of cinema, a compelling and engaging work. The scenes depicting the Manning chat logs are well presented and chilling. It contains some wonderful footage of Assange that I had not seen before. It presents the background of the WikiLeaks story clearly for those who don't know much about the context and nature of the links. For that reason I was happy to be involved in the Q & A. However, it is also for that reason that I am most concerned. If this is the main source for many people to learn about Assange, Manning and WikiLeaks, it is at best a half truth. And that is the risk, many will prefer to use this movie as a source of truth rather than merely a source. There are lots of better, more accurate sources of information. On this point also Gibney makes much of Assange's refusal to be interviewed for the project (despite this the film includes a lot of interviews and footage of Assange from other sources). This refusal is made out to have been made on the basis that Gibney refused to pay him a large sum of money and on the grounds that Assange has something to hide. There are multiple instances of Assange speaking freely available from a range of other sources. Assange is not living under a self-imposed veil of silence, he is active and communicating on a daily basis.<br />
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As Manne observes: "Gibney's powerful, accomplished and vivid film will for some time help shape opinion, especially among those members of the liberal Left on whom Assange now most relies. So in the conflict between them, it matters who is right." And this is the real danger. It presents itself as an impartial analysis of events, when it clearly is not so.<br />
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There is no balance when it comes to correcting attacks on Assange from a number of people who are well known to be hostile to him (and not above the cheap shots). Again, Manne notes that the film really ends with Domscheit-Berg's reflections on Assange, reflections which are distorted and biased by his own falling out with Assange.<br />
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So I would urge you to not accept <i>We Steal Secrets </i>as a documentary which explains the story of WikiLeaks and Assange, but rather read beyond the film to real sources which explain Assange's motivations and the operations of WikiLeaks, such as <i>Cypherpunks</i> ( a book which has been curiously overlooked given that it clearly articulates Assange's views).<br />
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View the film for the interesting vision and range of opinions, but read more widely and be open to the truth from other sources.Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-83159950624802673742013-06-06T01:28:00.000-07:002013-06-06T01:28:22.052-07:00RightsTalk Invitation: Human Rights and Video Games<br />
You’re invited to the Australian Human Rights Commission for a lively panel discussion on human rights and video games. This talk will canvass hot topics such as racial stereotyping and the depiction of women in video games, the associations made between games and violence, and bullying in online gaming. The panel will also look at the positive use of video games to promote human rights, and the role of young people and women in the gaming industry and community.<br />
<br />
Chair: Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission<br />
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Speakers include:<br />
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• Katie Williams - freelance games journalist and critic who has written for PC Gamer, PC PowerPlay, GameSpy, IGN, Hyper magazine, TouchArcade, Kotaku Australia, Games.on.net, Atomic, and WarCry. Katie is the newly appointed director of the Freeplay Independent Games Festival taking place in Melbourne this September. She blogs at www.alivetinyworld.com<br />
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• Brendan Keogh - videogame critic and PhD candidate at RMIT University, Melbourne. Brendan has written for Edge, Hyper, The New Statesman, The Conversation, and Polygon.<br />
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• Dr Christopher Moore - gamer and lecturer in Media and Communication at Deakin University, Melbourne. His research interests include the appropriative practices of gamer subcultures.<br />
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• Dr Melissa de Zwart – Associate Professor, Adelaide Law School, and a Member of the Classification Review Board (Cth). She has published widely on matters affecting the regulation of the online environment, including copyright, freedom of expression, virtual worlds, social networking and contractual communities.<br />
<br />
Date:
Thursday, 13 June 2013
Time:
5.30pm – 7.00pm<br />
Location:
Australian Human Rights Commission
Level 3, 175 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000<br />
RSVP: please register here <a href="http://rightstalkhumanrightsandvideogames.eventbrite.com/">http://rightstalkhumanrightsandvideogames.eventbrite.com</a><br />
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This session is free and spaces are limited to 100 attendees.
For more information on the Commission’s RightsTalks program go to <a href="http://www.humanrights.gov.au/get-involved/rightstalk">http://www.humanrights.gov.au/get-involved/rightstalk</a>
Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-49653539999280744842013-02-26T20:15:00.002-08:002013-02-26T20:15:55.616-08:00Postscript to the TV Now skirmishIn the aftermath of the Telstra v Optus dispute over TV Now, which offered, amongst other things, on demand recordings and viewing of AFL and NRL games on a user's mobile devices, Telstra has announced that it will be making <a href="http://www.telstra.com.au/latest-offers/afl/">an app</a> available to subscribers (ie not just Telstra customers) that provides live broadcast of AFL games. For Bram's earlier analysis of the case see <a href="http://bramspyre.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/singtel-optus-pty-ltd-v-national-rugby.html">here</a> and <a href="http://bramspyre.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/nrl-v-optus-in-full-federal-court.html">here</a>. The High Court refused leave to appeal in September 2012 and the TV Now service was discontinued by Optus.
Of course, the matter became the focus for debate over the intended scope of s111, and thus the issue remains relevant in the context of the ALRC reference on <a href="http://www.alrc.gov.au/inquiries/copyright-and-digital-economy">Copyright and the Digital Economy.</a>Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-31753706231060139682012-12-05T20:20:00.002-08:002012-12-05T20:20:57.011-08:00Who Controls the Internet: The Debate is Live and ClickingBram has been moonlighting over at The Conversation with <a href="https://theconversation.edu.au/who-controls-the-internet-the-debate-is-live-and-clicking-11187">a post about the ITU and WCIT-12</a>.<br />
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<br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-63167902740178768322012-07-11T17:55:00.000-07:002012-07-11T17:55:14.178-07:007th Gikii 2012 - call for papers!!Call for Papers: 7th Gikii Workshop, 17-18 September 2012<br />
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UEA London <br />
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102 Middlesex Street<br />
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London E1 7EZ UK<br />
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It’s harder than it used to be to write a Call for Papers for GikII, the so-cool-it-hurts blue skies workshop for papers exploring the interstices between law, technology and popular culture. Back in the day, you could dazzle the noobs just by mentioning past glories like the first paper on Facebook and privacy, Harry Potter and the Surveillance of Doom, regulation of autonomous agents according to the Roman law of slavery, edible technologies and copyright in Dalek knitting patterns. But nowadays we live in a world where we routinely encounter unmanned surveillance drones used to deliver tacos or made out of cats , commercial asteroid mining with Richard Branson, 3d printers used to create human organs and the fact that Jeremy Hunt still has a job. <br />
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Still, if any of these or the other many phenomena of the digital age in desperate need of legal attention are digging a tunnel out of your brain, then send us an abstract for the 7th Gikii workshop! Maybe this year it will be your paper which contributes the seminal GikII meme following in the honoured footsteps of LOLcats, flying penises, and knitted Daleks.<br />
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Gikii has run since 2006 in venues such as Edinburgh, Oxford, London, Amsterdam and Gothenberg with attendees coming from Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, India and Latin America. There is no conference fee, but attendees may be asked to contribute to the conference dinner on 17th September. If desired, we can suggest London accommodation ranging from cheap to more expensive. This year’s Gikii is run with the kind assistance of the Law School, University of East Anglia at their London centre, and will commence at lunchtime Sep 17th running through to end September 18th. These dates also offer an opportunity to combine GikII with the 7th SCL Policy Forum (details at http://www.scl.org/site.aspx?i=ev25696 ) in what has been termed the “week of geek”.<br />
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Abstracts of no longer than 500 words should be sent to lilian.edwards@strath.ac.uk and "Karen Mc Cullagh (LAW)" K.Mccullagh@uea.ac.uk by August 13th 2012. Acceptances will be announced shortly thereafter. A limited number of places will be available for participants not giving papers, and preference will be given for these to scholars (including postgraduate students) who have not previously attended GikII. Registration for these places will open at gikii.com when acceptance of abstracts is notified.<br />
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Shamelessly reposted from <a href="http://blogscript.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/7th-gikii-2012-call-for-papers.html" target="_blank">panGloss</a><br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-22204181871706967382012-06-11T19:22:00.001-07:002012-06-11T19:26:01.576-07:00Australasian Intellectual Property Academics Conference 2012<h2>
Date: 13 & 14 July 2012 </h2>
Time: 8.30am-6.00pm and 9.00am -12.00pm <br />
Venue: National Wine Centre of Australia <br />
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<br />
Thursday 12 July <br />
Adelaide Law Library Drinks Reception for Professor W.R. Cornish <br />
5.30pm-6.30pm <br />
Adelaide Law School Moot Court (free event) <br />
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Friday 13 July <br />
Opening Session <br />
9.15am-10.30am <br />
Professor Cornish <br />
Ass Prof David Brennan, Melbourne Law School<br />
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Morning Tea <br />
10.30am-11.00am <br />
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Session 2: Trade Marks, Patents and Counterfeit Goods <br />
11.00am-12.30pm<br />
Amanda Scardamaglia, Swinburne University of Technology<br />
'The Colonial Trade Mark Regime: Opening up the Australian Archives on Colonial Trade Mark Registrations' <br />
Chris Dent, University of Melbourne <br />
‘Empirical Evidence of the Patenting of Pharmaceutical Innovations’ <br />
Michael Blakeney, University of Western Australia <br />
'Weapons of Mass Deception? The role of terrorists in counterfeiting and piracy’ <br />
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Lunch <br />
12.30pm-1.30pm <br />
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Session 3: Copyright <br />
1.30pm-3.00pm <br />
Graham Greenleaf and Catherine Bond, University of New South Wales <br />
'Public rights in copyright: What makes up the public domain?’ <br />
Elizabeth Adeney, Deakin University <br />
‘Fair dealing for the purposes of quotation: What is a quotation exception and <br />
should Australia have one?’ <br />
David Lindsay, Monash University <br />
'What does iiNet mean and what happens now?' <br />
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Afternoon Tea <br />
3.00pm-3.30pm <br />
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Session 4: New Developments <br />
3.30pm-5.00pm <br />
Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology <br />
'Access, progress, and fairness: rethinking exclusivity in copyright' <br />
Kylie Pappalardo, PhD Candidate QUT Law School <br />
'Understanding the role of users in intermediary liability: theory, rhetoric and <br />
practice' <br />
Robert Cunningham, University of Western Australia <br />
'Should the Public Domain Have Standing? Applying the Ecology Analytical <br />
Framework to Intellectual Property Rights' <br />
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Conference Dinner <br />
6.00pm-10.00pm <br />
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Saturday 14 July <br />
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Session 5: ALRC - Copyright Review <br />
9.00am-10.30am <br />
Prof Jill McKeough, University of Technology Sydney <br />
ALRC Commissioner <br />
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Morning Tea <br />
10.30am-11.00am <br />
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Session 6: Research Directions and Planning Ahead <br />
11.00am-12.00pm <br />
<br />
For registrations:<br />
<a href="http://law.adelaide.edu.au/events/2012-aust-intell-prop-acad-conf.html" target="_blank">http://law.adelaide.edu.au/events/2012-aust-intell-prop-acad-conf.html</a>Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-73139322029140507772012-04-30T18:53:00.001-07:002012-04-30T18:53:55.607-07:00NRL v Optus in the Full Federal Court: victory for TelstraIn a rapid piece of work, the Full Federal Court (Finn, Emmett and Bennett JJ) handed down a unanimous judgment in the Telstra v Optus dispute over recording of AFL and NRL games, <em><a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCAFC/2012/59.html" target="_blank">National Rugby League Investments Pty Limited v Singtel Optus Pty Ltd</a></em>, [2012] FCAFC 59, on 27 April 2012. As reported by <a href="http://bramspyre.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/singtel-optus-pty-ltd-v-national-rugby.html" target="_blank">Bram in February</a> Optus had since July 2011, been offering its subscribers access to the TV Now service, which (subject to payment of the relevant fee) allowed users to select to record TV programs being shown on free-to-air TV, provided that the 'record' button was selected prior to the commencement of the relevant show. The AFL and NRL had an exclusive deal with Telstra regarding the broadcast of footage of AFL and NRL games via the internet and mobile phones (a deal which is both lucrative and an important source of fudning for both codes). The Optus model was seriously and deliberately 'disruptive' of this licensing arrangement.<br />
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The Full Federal Court focused on the meaning of 'make' and 'maker' in the Copyright Act, concluding the Optus, or Optus together with the subscriber, was the maker of the film, sound recording or copy of the game (Rares J at first instance had found this was the subscriber, thus immunising Optus against liability through reliance upon s111). Following on from this finding, the FFC concluded that Optus was not entitled to rely upon the 'private and domestic use' exception under s111. This is consistent with Bram's own thoughts on the intended scope of that provision (which was introduced for time shifting, a practice which had previously been an unauthorised use under Australian law, it was never intended as a foundation stone of a commercial business model).<br />
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The Court held: 'Optus could be said to be the maker in that the service it offered to, and did, supply a subscriber was to make and to make available to that person a recording of the football match he or she selected. Alternatively Optus and the subscriber could be said to be the maker for Copyright Act purposes as they acted in concert for the purpose of making a recording of the particular broadcast which the subscriber required to be made and of which he or she initiated the automated process by which copies were produced. In other words, they were jointly and severally responsible for the act of copying.' [para 4]<br />
Looking at the question of who does the copying, the Court noted that the TV Now service was designed, provided and marketed by Optus to enable programmes to be received, copied, stored and streamed to a subscriber's mobile or PC device. The Court considered the correct characterisation of the 'maker' of the copies in the context, noting the four possible alternatives:<br />
'(i) they were made by Optus but as agent for the subscriber; <br />
(ii) they were made by the subscriber as a principal using a facility made available by Optus pursuant to its contract with the subscriber; <br />
(iii) they were made by Optus as a principal using its own technology but subject to its contractual obligation to store and to allow subscriber viewing of the recordings so made at the time(s) of his or her choosing; or (iv) they were made jointly by Optus and the subscriber both of whom, consistent with their contract, acted in concert with one another pursuant to a common design to have a broadcast copied on Optus’ technology and made available to be viewed by the subscriber.' [para 53]<br />
Looking at the provisions of s 86(a) and s 87(b), the Court concluded that the term 'make' is directed to the creation of a physical thing ie the embodiment of the copyright subject matter. This action is undertaken by the automated copying system: a system 'configured designedly so as to respond to a third party command to make that copy' [para 64]. <br />
<br />
The Court places a heavy emphasis on the creation, promotion and operation on the TV Now system being designed solely to be in constant readiness to respond to subscriber demands. This resulted in the Court finding that Optus was a 'maker' of the recordings. The Court then considered if the subscribers were also makers of the copies. They concluded: 'The subscriber, by selecting the programme to be copied and by confirming that it is to be copied, can properly be said to be the person who instigates the copying. Yet it is Optus which effects it. Without the concerted actions of both there would be no copy made of a football match for the subscriber. Without the subscriber’s involvement, nothing would be created; without Optus’ involvement nothing would be copied. They have needed to act in concert to produce – they each have contributed to – a commonly desired outcome. The subscriber’s contributing acts were envisaged by the contractual terms and conditions. How they were to be done were indicated by the prompts given on the Optus TV Now TV guide page. The common design – the production of the selected programme for transmission to the subscriber – informed the solicitation and the taking of a subscription by the subscriber; it was immanent in the service to be provided.' [para 76]<br />
<br />
On this basis, both Optus and the subscriber could 'both properly be said to be jointly and severally responsible for the act of making the copies'. [para 77] The preferred view of the Court was that both Optus and the subscriber, acting together, were the makers of the copies.<br />
<br />
With respect to s 111 the Court observes that: 'There is nothing in the language, or the provenance, of s 111 to suggest that it was intended to cover commercial copying on behalf of individuals. Moreover, the natural meaning of the section is that the person who makes the copy is the person whose purpose is to use it as prescribed by s 111(1). Optus may well be said to have copied programmes so that <i>others </i>can use the recorded programme for the purpose envisaged by s 111. Optus, though, makes no use itself of the copies as it frankly concedes. It merely stores them for 30 days. And its purpose in providing its service – and, hence in making copies of programmes for subscribers – is to derive such market advantage in the digital TV industry as its commercial exploitation can provide. Optus cannot invoke the s 111 exception.' [para 89] Bram agrees that the position argued for by Optus was way outside the envisaged scope of s111 and the system as developed and marketed by Optus goes beyond the analogy of a home video recording device, not the least because it allows platform as well as time shifting (a commercial advantage clearly not lost on Optus). The Court observed that analogies are not particularly helpful in this context (noting the differing outcomes in US cases dealing with indirect liability, such as <em>Cartoon Network LP, LLLP v CSC Holdings Inc</em> 536 F 3d 121 (2nd Cir 2008))<br />
<br />
Given the joint and several liability, Optus having alone been sued, it was liable as the person who did the acts of copying.<br />
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It is likely, although unknown at this time, that Optus will appeal.<br />
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<br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-13189143351828621392012-04-20T23:32:00.001-07:002012-04-20T23:33:38.369-07:00iiNet in the High Court: A long march from "indifference" to "authorisation"And so, finally, we reach the end of this saga, which commenced in the Federal Court in 2009 (with the gathering of data by AFACT commencing in 2008),<i><a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2012/16.html" target="_blank"> Roadshow Films Pty Ltd v iiNet [2012] HCA 16</a></i>.<br />
In two joint judgments, (French CJ, Crennan and Kiefel JJ and Gummow and Hayne JJ) the High Court unanimously held that iiNet had not authorised the infringement of copyright by its customers who were distributing and accessing films using BitTorrent.<br />
Both judgments focus specifically and narrowly on the concept of authorisation. The judgments avoid becoming entangled or distracted by questions such as what all those overlapping sections (s101(1), s 101(1A) and s112E) actually mean! The Gummow and Hayne JJ judgment does observe that s112E "seems to have been enacted from an abundance of caution" [para 113]. They also leave the safe harbour provisions alone given their defeat in the Full Federal Court.<br />
The judgments both progress on the basis that the test is to apply the questions from s101(1A):<br />
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"In determining, for the purposes of subsection (1), whether or not a person has authorised the doing in Australia of any act comprised in a copyright subsisting by virtue of this Part without the licence of the owner of the copyright, the matters that must be taken into account include the following:<br />(a) the extent (if any) of the person's power to prevent the doing of the act concerned;<br />(b) the nature of any relationship existing between the person and the person who did the act concerned;<br />(c) whether the person took any other reasonable steps to prevent or avoid the doing of the act, including whether the person complied with any relevant industry codes of practice."<br />
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These are treated largely as questions of fact, with the answer to be drawn from the findings on these facts. See para 63:<br />
"The appeal can be determined by asking interrelated questions informed by s 101(1A). Did iiNet have a power to prevent the primary infringements and, if so, what was the extent of that power (s 101(1A)(a))? Did reasonable steps to prevent those infringements (after receipt of the AFACT notices) include warnings and subsequent suspension or termination of the accounts of all customers identified as infringing the appellants' copyrights (s 101(1A)(c)), if such customers failed to cease communicating infringing material using the BitTorrent system? How does the relationship between iiNet and its customers (s 101(1A)(b)) bear on each of those questions? It will be observed that these are largely questions of fact and the ultimate question of whether iiNet authorised the infringements will be an inference to be drawn from those facts." [see also para 135 for Gummow and Hayne JJ judgement].<br />
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The French judgment then considers the contractual and factual relationship between iiNet and its subscribers. Noting the lack of an industry code which would given iiNet greater guidance regarding how to act in the face of infringement notices, their Honours conclude that iiNet in fact had little power to prevent infringement. Termination on the basis of an AFACT notice was not regarded as sufficient to require termination of a user's service and terminated customers could easily obtain their internet services from elsewhere. iiNet's refusal to act was not indifference but rather a recognition of their own limited power and the limitations of the AFACT notices.<br />
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Drawing upon tort law, Gummow and Hayne JJ consider the scope of "authorisation" in this context. They conclude that the arguments for authorisation liability seek to impose a positive duty of care on iiNet which could only be discharged by taking active steps regarding infringement by customers [para 115]. They conclude that: "the power of iiNet as an ISP with respect to the use of facilities provided to subscribers was limited by the nature of their commercial relationship; iiNet could not control the choice of its subscribers and other users to utilise the BitTorrent software, nor could iiNet modify the BitTorrent software or take down the appellants' films which were made available online." [para 137]<br />
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The provision by iiNet of internet connection, combined with its technical and contractual controls, and its lack of response to the AFACT notices did not constitute a case of authorisation of primary infringement: "The progression urged by the appellants from the evidence, to "indifference", to "countenancing", and so to "authorisation", is too long a march."[para 143] It was not unreasonable for iiNet to refuse to take the steps to disconnect users on the basis of the AFACT notices.<br />
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This decision leaves the way open for a statutory response to the secondary liability question: see para 79.Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-5313002677509962072012-02-09T02:44:00.000-08:002012-02-09T02:44:53.090-08:00CFP: Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: Law and Virtual Worlds<br />
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CFP Journal of Virtual Worlds Issue on Law and Virtual Worlds </h1>
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A Special Issue edited by:</div>
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Melissa de Zwart, Adelaide Law School, Australia</div>
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Greg Lastowka, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, USA</div>
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Dan Hunter, New York Law School. USA</div>
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<img alt="created by nyx breen for the faculty of law uwa" border="0" class="caption" height="200" src="http://jvwresearch.org/images/CFPs/created%20by%20nyx%20breen%20for%20the%20the%20faculty%20of%20law%20uwasmall.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(181, 191, 186); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(181, 191, 186); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(181, 191, 186); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(181, 191, 186); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" title="The University of Western Australia (UWA) presence on Second Life" width="500" /><div class="img_caption" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center !important;">
The University of Western Australia (UWA) presence on Second Life</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (http://www.jvwresearch.org/) is an online, open access academic journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research. The field of virtual worlds research is a continuously evolving area of study that spans across many disciplines and the JVWR editorial team looks forward to engaging a wide range of creative and scholarly work.</span></div>
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Motivation and Scope</h3>
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This special issue will focus on legal questions generated by the creation, regulation and participation in virtual worlds. We are looking for papers that explore beyond the basics of ‘the magic circle’ (asserting that virtual worlds are immune from external laws and norms) and consider emerging legal issues that may encourage or inhibit the uptake of virtual worlds. In particular, we are interested in papers that adopt a multi-jurisdictional focus and which propose new ways that the legal issues may be approached by developers and regulators. Innovative and creative papers are encouraged.</div>
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Given the audience and nature of the JVWR we are looking for papers which are accessible to a non-legal readership. They should demonstrate a good awareness of the nature of virtual worlds.</div>
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Authors are invited to submit papers that are innovative, original, and contribute to the advancement of understanding of law as it applies to virtual worlds. Papers will be considered by the Guest Editorial Board and reviewed by expert referees using our double -open policy. Double-open policy means that in general, authors do not need to anonymize their papers, and reviewers identity is also known to authors. For more details about see JVWR site --> About JVWR --> <a href="http://jvwresearch.org/index.php/component/content/article/8-about-jvwr/4" style="color: #576c2d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">For Authors</a> --> Our double-Open Policy.</div>
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Possible topics include, but are not limited to:</div>
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<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Jurisdiction and rule-making</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Governance and community management</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Player rights</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Virtual property</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dispute resolution</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Intellectual property, modding, user-generated content</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Privacy, identity and data collection</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Security and hacking</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Crime</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, discrimination, access and hate speech</li>
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Submission Instructions</h3>
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Authors are invited to submit papers of up to 6000 words (including footnotes and references) via the JVWR publishing system (see www.jvwreserach.org> about > for authors). Accepted papers will be published online in the Volume 6, Number 2 of the Journal, 2013. </div>
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Deadlines and Timeline</h3>
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Authors can submit a 600 word abstract as of the publication of the call.</div>
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Please use the Journal publishing system (login at the top right of the journal site, state that your submission is for the Legal issue.) </div>
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Abstract submission will give authors quick feedback on the relevance and appropriateness of their topic and allow editors to identify reviewers as soon as possible. </div>
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<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Final deadline for Authors to submit abstracts for Editors’ comments: 30 June 2012</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Editors submit comments on the Abstracts to Authors: 30 Aug 2012</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Authors submit full paper: 30 Dec 2012</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Editors send Reviewers’ feedback on the paper, and indication of acceptance or rejection: 15 February 2013</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Submission of revised paper (if necessary): 30 April 2013</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Editors’ decision and comments for accepted papers: 20 May 2013</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Authors Submission of final version: 15 June 2013</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://jvwresearch.org/templates/jvwr7/images/postbullets.png); background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #95a39c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Staff editors & authors work till planned Publication Date: 15 July 2013</li>
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Further Information</h3>
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<a href="http://jvwresearch.org/index.php/component/content/article/10-cfps/30">CFP website JVWR</a></div>
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Please contact:</div>
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Melissa de Zwart, Adelaide Law School, melissadez AT gmail.com</div>
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Greg Lastowka, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, lastowka AT camden.rutgers.edu</div>
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Dan Hunter, New York Law School, USA</div>Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-16169803188661715382012-02-08T22:25:00.000-08:002012-02-08T22:25:44.646-08:00Singtel Optus Pty Ltd v National Rugby League Investments Pty Ltd (No 2) [2012] FCA 34Proving yet again that copyright law in Australia is shaped by sport...<br />
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In July 2011, Optus began offering its subscribers access to the TV Now service, which (subject to payment of the relevant fee) allowed users to select to record TV programs being shown on free-to-air TV, provided that the 'record' button was selected prior to the commencement of the relevant show. The AFL and NRL, together with Telstra, the exclusive licensee of broadcasts of the footage of AFL and NRL games via the internet and mobile phones (I am avoiding the terms devices here as this seems to be a point of contention in this instance) claimed that such recordings (and the necessary playback) were an infringement of copyright. The action was actually brought on the basis of groundless threats of infringement under <a href="http://corrigan.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s202.html">s 202</a> Copyright Act.<br />
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On 1 February 2012, Rares J in the Federal Court held that the TV Now service did not infringe copyright in the broadcasts of certain AFL and NRL games in 2011, <em><a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCA/2012/34.html">Singtel Optus Pty Ltd v National Rugby League Investments Pty Ltd (No 2)</a></em> [2012] FCA 34 .<br />
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The Optus subscriber using the TV Now service 'could select a program to record from an electronic program guide that would appear on any one of ...four kinds of device': a PC, Apple devices, Android devices or other 3G devices. Thus, once a program was selected to 'record' by a user, four individual copies would be made to support each of these platforms. Each individual user would also have a unique set of files made for their use ie multiple copies were made, each corresponding to an individual and unique request. These files were stored by Optus for 30 days, for playback by the user. who accessed the content via streaming. Users of Apple devices could view the content 'almost' live, ie subject to a two minute delay, due to differences in Apple file saving requirements. Each user has an allocated amount of recording time, depending on which 'plan' they had purchased. Users could only record TV shows shown in their 'home' region.<br />
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Optus relied upon s 111 Copyright Act, which (relevantly for our purposes) provides:<br />
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(1) This section applies if a person makes a cinematograph film or sound recording of a broadcast solely for private and domestic use by watching or listening to the material broadcast at a time more convenient than the time when the broadcast is made. <br />
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Note: Subsection 10(1) defines broadcast as a communication to the public delivered by a broadcasting service within the meaning of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 . <br />
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(2) The making of the film or recording does not infringe copyright in the broadcast or in any work or other subject-matter included in the broadcast. <br />
Note: Even though the making of the film or recording does not infringe that copyright, that copyright may be infringed if a copy of the film or recording is made. <br />
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The parties agreed that the Court should answer the following questions before proceeding to consider any further matters:<br />
<ol>
<li>Who did the acts involved in recording the broadcasts?</li>
<li>Did s 111 mean there was no infringement of copyright? If there was infringment of copyright, was Optus liable for authorisation of copyright infringement?</li>
<li>When the recording was viewed, who did the acts of electronically transmitting the copyright workks?</li>
<li>Is streaming a communication 'to the public'?</li>
<li>Was Optus responsible for 'making the works available' online?</li>
<li>Was this 'to the public'?</li>
</ol>
Rares J concluded that the user of the TV Now service (rather than Optus) 'makes each of the films in the four formats when he or she clicks on the "record" button on the TV Now electronic program guide. This is because the user is solely responsible for the creation of those films.' [para. 63] Optus did not do any of the acts involved in recording the works, see para 68: drawing the comparison with the photocopier in UNSW library in the <em>Moorhouse </em>case: 'it was impossible to say that the University did the act of photocopying by providing the photocopier, just as, in my opinion, it is impossible to say that Optus makes any of the films in the four formats that are created when a user clicks "record" and its datacentre carries out that instruction.' Perhaps this analogy is a little overstated given that the technology required to undertake the recording was entirely operated by Optus. All the user had to do was press a button, with no regard as to how this command would be achieved. In addition, in order to offer the service at all a considerable investment had to be made in receiving, recording and hosting equipment.<br />
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At para 80-81 Rares J emphasises that all that is achieved by the service is the outcome of time shifting as contemplated by s 111. See, in particular, para 81:<br />
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'If a person can watch a broadcast “near live”, away from a television, that may enable him or her to do something else. For example, the person may want to finish a task at work in the time it would take to travel home, because he or she knows that, once he or she finishes the task, he or she can view the broadcast “near live” when travelling home late or while still at work. Such a purpose is consistent with the definition of “private and domestic use”. Moreover, the rightholders accepted that pausing the contemporaneous recording of a broadcast to allow a user to do something else, even momentarily, can entail that the recording is made for use immediately after the viewer finishes the distracting event because that is a time more convenient than the time when the broadcast is made.'<br />
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These paragraphs seem to gloss over the point that what is really being talked about here is format rather than time shifting, and this is in essence, what is at the heart of the Optus business model, to get a slice of the internet and mobile devices market, which is exclusively licensed, for a large sum, to Telstra.<br />
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In response to the other questions, Rares J concluded that the user did the act of electronically transmitting the film, despite the use of Optus's equipment and services [para 95], and the communication was made to the user only and not 'to the public' [para 100] . Rares J also had to deal with the conclusion in <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1997/41.html"><em>Telstra Corporation Ltd v APRA</em> (1997 HC) (the music on hold case)</a> that if a work is communicated in circumstances where the copyright owner can expect a fee, the communication is made "to the public" regardless of whether it is made to only one person at a time'. [para 101] Rares J correctly recognises that: The TV Now service is part of Optus’ service that it offers to the market in order to attract and retain customers. As the business case for Optus’ decision to invest in the TV Now service recognised, the service would give it the significant market benefit of a leading position in the digital television industry and “delivers the customer value proposition ‘record and watch my favourite TV shows on the go’”. [para. 102] However, Rares J concludes that the communication of the recording to the user's device 'lacks the element of commercial detriment to the rightsholders' that had been present in the <em>Telstra</em> case. Thus, it could not constutite a communication to the public.<br />
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Finally, the digital file of the recording was not an 'article' or 'article or thing' withing the meaning of s 103 or s111(3)(d).<br />
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The Apple streaming technology was held to give rise to different issues to be considered separately. <br />
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Bram believes that there is plenty of scope to argue that whilst s 111 enables users to record material for viewing 'at a time more convenient than the time when the broadcast is made', time is not the only, nor perhaps even the main, matter to be considered here. Section 111 did not contemplate format shifting, that is dealt with in other sections of the Act. <br />
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The case has been appealed to the Full Federal Court.<br />
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<br />Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-87814298007610095962011-10-14T23:41:00.000-07:002011-10-14T23:41:59.511-07:00panGloss: Digital IP job at Strathclyde<a href="http://blogscript.blogspot.com/2011/10/digital-ip-job-at-strathclyde.html?spref=bl">panGloss: Digital IP job at Strathclyde</a>: Following fast on the news about the PhD and Postdoc, here is stage 3 of the world domination plan.. Strathclyde is appointing 4-6 new jobs...Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-62111255570892124972011-10-12T23:55:00.000-07:002011-10-13T00:16:56.303-07:00Copyright Symposium 2011Bram has had an exciting and thought provoking day at the <a href="http://copyright.asn.au/events/symposium2011.htm">Copyright Symposium</a> in Sydney, a treat for anyone who has a 'thing' about copyright!<br />First, we had an overview from Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, on the key issues being thought about and dealt with in WIPO. He presented an optimistic view on the improving dialogue between content providers and technology developers, signalling a possibility of some progress on future copyright solutions in the digital environment. It is a slowly, slowly approach to copyright reform generally, hopefully building confidence that reform CAN be achieved. Dr Gurry expressed the view that we need a digital roadmap to set out the elements of how we may get to an effective digital marketplace. <br />William Patry, copyright guru and Senior Copyright Counsel at Google, followed up with an entertaining and engaging presentation. The 'take away' from his presentation was that it was likely we would see a one stop shop for the whole world, selling digital content (I wonder what shop that may be??) and that global copyright reform needs to respond to consumer expectations (and yes he conceded creators should be paid for their creations). He argued that law may not be the answer to all of a problems, but rather should be viewed, as appropriate, as a tool to solve them.<br />We then had a response from Brett Cottle, Chief Executive of APRA and staunch defender of copyright, who reinstated the law as leader of change, rather than merely a follower. Brett disputed whether responding to the demand for instant gratification was a good thing. Importantly, he suggested that some merit may be found in the commercial/ non-commercial distinction in terms of formulating exceptions for the digital environment (of this, more tomorrow).<br />Francis Gurry's view on this was that whilst consumer expectations were important, they should be tempered somewhat with realistic allowances for payment of creators.<br />All in all a great session, which I think has set the scene for the next two days.<br />Kim Weatherall and Michael Williams followed this up with a session on the question of whether copyright needs radical reform or whether its foundations are sound (yes just that small and easy to solve q). Kim was characteristically interesting, well informed and had great slides. <br />We then had sessions on Authorship (is there a crisis?), doing business online (which ended on a depressing note, but we all agreed we value Australian content) and Traditional Knowledge. Bram notes that a highlight was the recognition that interactive games are the real growth sector (oh hoorah!)<br />Interesting and valuable things are happening here on the copyright front, stay tuned!Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7083808832211974286.post-18213540301918720902011-09-07T19:44:00.000-07:002011-09-07T19:49:44.809-07:00New post on GIsA little to the left of Bram's usual interests, here is a <a href="http://wine2030.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/gis-for-wine-and-food-lawyer-dr-de-zwart-addresses-the-global-debate-and-australia%e2%80%99s-position/">blog</a> on a forthcoming chapter on Geographical Indications, in the context of Old World vs New World. The Adelaide Uni wine blog is <a href="http://wine2030.wordpress.com/">here</a>.Melissa de Zwarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15927283531205359163noreply@blogger.com0