Why do the Aussies make such wierd Internet laws?
E-MAIL SHARING BANNED BY LAW IN AUSTRALIA
Forwarding e-mail to friends, family or colleagues without permission
from
the sender is now illegal in Australia, thanks to a new law that took
effect yesterday. Penalties for violation could be as much as five
years'
jail time or fines of AU$60,000 (US$31,400). The motivation behind the
law
is copyright protection for the sender of the original e-mail. But in
addition to material that already has copyright protection, such as
excerpts from books or song lyrics, the new measure also affects
personal
messages. "It's quite possible that the forwarding of an e-mail could be
a
technical infringement of copyright," says a legal advisor for
Australia's
attorney general. "E-mailing something is a 'communication' under the
Digital Agenda Act and so is putting something up on a Web site." This
new
interpretation means a simple e-mail about office gossip or holiday
plans
also carries personal copyright protection. It is estimated that 5
million
or more e-mail messages are forwarded around Australia every day. (The
Sunday Telegraph 4 Mar 2001)
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,1768268%5E421,00.html
--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Chico, CA 95929
530-898-5321
fax 530-898-5901
