IP: Australian e-mail copyrights

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,1768268%255E421,00.html
>
> Sunday Telegraph
>
> Sharing e-mail banned by law
>
> FORWARDING an e-mail to friends, family or colleagues without permission
> from the sender is illegal from today and could result in severe
> penalties.
>
> New laws set out maximum penalties of five years' jail or fines of
> $60,000.
>
> The illegality stems from breaching the copyright held by the person who
> originally wrote the e-mail.
>
> An estimated five million or more e-mails are forwarded each day around
> the nation.
>
> Attorney-General Daryl Williams QC has warned Australians that they could
> be breaking the law, if they continue to forward e-mails from today.
>
> "It's quite possible that the forwarding of an e-mail could be a
> technical infringement of copyright," Mr Williams' legal adviser told The
> Sunday Telegraph.
>
> "E-mailing something is a `communication' under the Digital Agenda Act
> and so is putting something up on a website."
>
> The new measures cover material which already has copyright protection --
> such as excerpts from books or song lyrics -- as well as personal
> messages.
>
> This means a simple message about office gossip, holiday plans or a new
> romance carries personal copyright and the recipient has no right to
> forward it without permission.
>
> An e-mail sex scandal erupted in Britain last year when London lawyer
> Bradley Chait forwarded a personal e-mail from his girlfriend, Claire
> Swire, to six friends, who in turn forwarded the e-mail to others. The
> e-mail, which described his sexual prowess, eventually made its way
> around the world and led to the lawyer being severely disciplined by his
> employer.
>
> Internet Industry Association executive director Peter Coroneos said
> forwarding e-mail had probably always involved a technical breach of
> copyright, adding: "It's a matter of whether the authors themselves are
> likely to be concerned."
>
> He urged people sending e-mail to spell out whether they gave permission
> for the content to be forwarded to others.



For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/