Displaying items by tag: Site blocking

EXCLUSIVE: Internet Australia chief executive Laurie Patton is moving on after more than two years at the helm of the advocacy and lobby group representing Internet users.

Foxtel has welcomed the Federal Court’s decisions to block five of the largest online piracy sites under legislation passed by the Parliament in 2015,  hailing the judgment as a major step in combating piracy in Australia.

Internet Australia has again come out in strong opposition to the use of site-blocking in the fight against Internet “piracy”, claiming that a copyright infringement survey by the federal government supports its case against site-blocking.

The chief executive of Internet Australia, Laurie Patton, says there are increasing signs that industry and the community have begun to question the government’s copper-based multi-technology mix (MTM) model for the National Broadband Network (NBN) and that IA will continue efforts to have the government abandon it in favour of a return to fibre.

A UK court’s refusal to overturn a request for the blocking of sites in the country dealing in counterfeit luxury products has prompted Internet Australia to repeat its call for the repeal of Australia’s Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015 — the so-called site-blocking law 2015 — passed by federal parliament in the middle of last year.

Internet Australia chief Laurie Patton – a long-time opponent of site blocking – says a recent site blocking exercise in the UK was not the success claimed, with 80% of Internet users ignoring the massive blocking effort.

Internet Australia has again raised concerns about the costs associated with site-blocking laws designed to deal with unlawful downloading of video and audio content via overseas websites.

The tit for tat war of words between Internet Australia and Creative Content Australia continues, with IA chief Laurie Patton repeating his assertion the organisation remains to be convinced that site-blocking really works as a means for combatting Internet piracy.

The peak body for the promotion of copyright, creative rights and piracy research, Creative Content Australia, has hit back at Internet Australia chief Laurie Patton over what he said were accusations of Australians being “rampant Internet pirates”.

Internet Australia has labeled the legislation bringing in new site blocking powers as a measure too extreme, likening it to using a machine gun to shoot rabbits.