Facts on the iiNet AFACT case
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The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has delivered hundreds of IP addresses to iiNet of account users it believes have illegally downloaded movies.
It says iiNet has a responsibility to stamp our piracy on its network and claims the ISP has not taken reasonable steps to do this. Last November, acting on behalf of seven film companies and the Seven Network, AFACT took action against iiNet to prevent what the group claims is online peer-to-peer copyright infringement.
The resulting court hearing is scheduled for two fortnight bursts from 6 October, with a finding expected sometime next year. This week on Twisted Wire we look at the arguments surrounding this case.
Adrianne Pecotic, executive director of AFACT, explains the reason for the action, while Nic Suzar, chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, looks at some of the issues it raises. Peter Coroneos, CEO of the Internet Industry Association, looks at the implications for ISPs.
Next week we look more at the question of copyright and the internet and ask: is there a way forward that doesn't involve litigation?
In the meantime add your views in the Talkback section at the end of this post.