Digital Economy Future Directions Consultation Paper: consultation draft

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) has released the industry consultation draft of the Digital Economy Future Directions Consultation Paper.

The paper raises some issues that have copyright implications. These include:

• Open Access to Public Sector Information (at page 3)
• Copyright ‘Safe Harbours’ (at page 15)
• Appropriate flexibility for digital technologies (page 17)
  

Questions relating to Public Service Information (PSI) to which the consultation paper invites response (at page 5) are:

• What categories of Public Sector Information (PSI) are most useful to industry and other stakeholders to enable innovation and promote the digital economy?
• What are priority issues that will facilitate the use of PSI?
• If PSI is made open access, what are the best formats to enable and promote use and reuse?
• If PSI is made open access, what licensing terms would best facilitate and promote its use and reuse?
• Should licensing terms distinguish between commercial uses and non-commercial uses and reuses?
• Are there other examples of innovative, online uses of PSI?
• Is there any additional economic modelling or other evidence to show the benefit to Australia from open access of PSI?

Questions relating to the safe harbour provisions and copyright exceptions, to which the consultation paper seeks response, are (at page 18):

• Should the existing copyright safe harbour scheme for carriage service providers be broadened?
• Does Australia’s copyright law unreasonably inhibit the operation of basic and important internet services? If so, what are the nature of such problems and practical consequences? How should these be overcome?
  
• Is there non-copyright legislation that is directly relevant to digital economy businesses that create uncertainty or barriers?
  

DBCDE is seeking input by COB 11 February 2009.

More:

• draft consultation paper
• Media release from Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (10 September 2008) announcing Future Directions Paper