The Federal Government has announced today that it will move ahead with Australian copyright reforms, to “better support the needs of Australians to access content in an increasingly digital environment.”
Screenrights welcomes parts of the Government’s announcement on copyright reforms, in particular the clarification around statutory licensing schemes. However, we note that access exceptions around an immediate need during the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic should not set a precedent for future access, after the crisis is over.
“Screenrights educational licenses have only further proven their value over the last few months,” said Screenrights Chief Executive James Dickinson. “Usage of our members’ content via the online resource centres has seen a big uptick over the pandemic period, and our members are rightly proud that their works are helping teachers and students at this time. But it’s critical that rightsholders continue to receive a fair fee for the use of their works as provided by Australian copyright law.”
Screenrights looks forward to the opportunity of working with the Government towards the best outcome for the proposed copyright reforms.
You can read more about the proposed reforms here.
