Jacqui Dean “Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister” has today released the terms of reference for a review of the Copyright Act 1994.
Jacqui Dean
Copyright affect how people create, distribute and access information, Today’s rapidly changing technological environment it is important we ensure our copyright is fit.
“The Study highlighted a range of opportunities and challenges faced by users, creators and owners of digital content. This review will look into these opportunities and challenges to ensure we have the right settings in New Zealand.
Background
The last review having taken place between 2001 and 2004 and resulting in the copyright Amendment Act 2008. That Act was supposed to have been reviewed again in 2013,five years after the amendment were introduce ,but negotiations around the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement saw the review indefinitely placed on ice. However, major changes proposed to copyright laws in Australia and the recent 2015/2016 study by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment in the role of copyright and the creative sector, appear to have spurred on the need for a review and brought the matter back into scope. Launching a review now will also build on the insight of the government’s study of the role of copyright and deigns in the creative sector, completed last year.
Objective of the Review
• Assess how well the Act is performing against the objectives of New Zealand’s copyright regime
• Identify barriers to achieving those objectives, and
• Formulate a preferred approach to addressing any performance issues and barriers. This could include amending the Act.
At the End
Dean says, “We will continue to monitor and report on the progress of this review, the next step will be the release of an issues paper for public consultation in 2018.
