The world-wide software industry lost more than $15.2 billion last year due to software theft and continues to lose: $482 every second, $28,900 every minute, $1.7 million every hour, $41.6 million every day, and $291.5 million every week. (Business Software Alliance) In a survey commissioned by the Business Software Alliance and Software Publishers Association, Australia had one of the lowest piracy rates (36%), with the United States leading the world at 26%. In contrast, the Asia Pacific region reported the highest piracy rates of all surveyed nations. These include: Vietnam (99%), and China (96%).
Copyright Protection
Australia is taking the lead in efforts to find a regional approach to ensure effective copyright protection. Recently, the Senator for Communications and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, and the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Daryl Williams announced that the Australian Cabinet agreed to reforms to the Copyright Act. These reforms mainly focused on journalists' copyright, but further reforms of the Act are expected to allow for more effective protection of copyright in the Internet and other new communications networks.
In addition, Australia played an important role in the negotiation of two new international treaties agreed on in December 1996 which include a technology neutral transmission right. The treaties provide the international framework for the Government to now consider the incorporation of such a right into Australian law.
Business and Intellectual Property
Not only has the Australian Government taken a role in protecting intellectual property, but a group of many of the major software manufacturers and distributors in the Australian marketplace have also launched a campaign to promote the benefits of buying software in Australia through authorized channels. The campaign called "Buy IT in Australia" is supposed to encourage buyers to consider the advantages of buying locally instead of from the numerous mail-order outlets. A logo will be available for distributors to affix to the product so buyers are sure that it has come through the proper channels and is the Australian version if such a thing exists.
Transborder Data Flows and Privacy
Recently, the Australian Government decided to abandon privacy legislation for the private sector despite widespread demand. This surprising decision has caused privacy groups, consumer organizations, businesses, trade unions and professional societies including the Australian Privacy Charter Council and the Australian Computer Society great concern. Many companies fear that personal information such as that held on credit cards could be accessed and used to pinpoint a person's movement and buying habits, which could be used to target advertising and marketing.
While state government's such as New South Wales and Victoria are planning to introduce legislation of their own, this could create potential loopholes in transborder access controls. Mr. Kane, a systems integration strategist at the consultancy Stanton Partners, said, "With the development overseas of defined guidelines for security and information privacy, Australia may find itself an orphan. If a country needed to pass data across borders, it could only do so if the receiving country had controls at a level equal or higher than its own."
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URL: http://www.http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/initeb/lk0767a/australi.htm
Author: Linda Kallmeyer
Last Update: May 6, 1997