Blackout

One of the most vexing issues in public policy is the impact of technology on our lives. Whether it's surveillance, stem-cell research or property rights, near constant innovation and ever increasing access means policy and regulation are always going to lag behind consumer practice. I'm anything but expert, I'm possibly a little careless in fact. I keep a watching eye the legal ranglings around file sharing and also net filtering but that's about it.

The concerns expressed by expert commentators, such as Russell Brown, about changes to New Zealand's copyright laws have recently refocused my attention. Russell makes the critical point that a balance between creators' and users' rights must be struck but that achieving this requires sensible dialogue on both parts. I remember when the parrallel importing legislation was rushed through the NZ Parliament (circa March 1999) some of these issues were bought up but only resolved with respect to enforcable trade agreements.

Parliament needs to guide the courts, the pace of techological innovation must surely mean existing laws will not be fit for purpose. But it seems to me that copyright holders are looking for a quick fix to staunch the loss of business rather than adapting to the fundamental shift in patterns of consumption.

Per head of population, Australian consumers reputedly illegally download more television content than any other country (I've read this in the MSM but can't now find a reference). This must infuriate broadcasters who pay big money to rush series from overseas - House and CSI for example. Without giving too much away, some earlier frustration I had about Nine's scheduling of the Sopranos sent me towards torrent sites.

All this is by way of explaining my support for the the Internet Blackout N.Z. I recommend following the developments here and here.