iiNet case appeal set for August

in brief The film industry will get four days in the NSW Federal Court's August sittings to appeal a court decision that internet service provider iiNet did not authorise its users to infringe on the film industry's copyright.

Friday last week, NSW judge Justice Emmett ordered that the appeal be set down for hearing in the sittings commencing 2 August 2010 and listed for four days in duration.

The final date for the hearing in the August sittings (which go from 2 August to 25 August) is yet to be decided. It's expected that those dates and the three judges that will hear the appeal will be decided between now and mid-May.

The Australian Federation of Copyright Theft (representing various film studios and a television network) had taken iiNet to court back in November 2008, arguing that the ISP infringed copyright by failing to take reasonable steps to prevent customers from copying films and TV shows over its network.