CMCL and IPRIA Seminar
Thursday 5 February 2009
Melbourne Law School at 5.30pm for 6.00pm

The Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) and the Centre for Media and Communications Law (CMCL) are hosting an industry/academic forum, to which you are invited.

In November 2008 an Australian broadcaster and thirty-three film production companies from Australia, the US and Europe initiated a copyright infringement action against Perth-based internet service provider (ISP), iiNet.

The theory of liability upon which the applicants’ case primarily rests is that iiNet: (1) knew or should have known that some of its customers were infringing copyright in the applicants’ films, (2) took no measures against the customers, and (3) thereby authorised those infringements. The Roadshow Films v iiNet litigation, which will be likely to unfold over 2009 and 2010, raises issues of profound importance to the creative industries, ISPs and the public at large. These issues include the extent to which content producers can rely upon copyright law to ensure that channels of unlawful distribution are prevented, whether ISPs should be held responsible for the infringing conduct of their customers, and how the privacy and other interests of citizens using the internet should be respected.

Speakers:
Mr Frank Rittman, Motion Picture Association, Asia Pacific Regional Legal Counsel
Ms Jane Perrier, Telstra, General Counsel Intellectual Property
Associate Professor David Brennan, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne
Ms Kim Weatherall, TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland

Chair: Professor Sam Ricketson, Melbourne Law School