In the eyes of at least one intellectual property academic, the passing of controversial anti-piracy website-blocking legislation in the senate on Monday night represented “a very dark day for the internet in Australia”.
But for the film and TV industry, which has been battling online piracy at record levels, it was a watershed moment. Finally they could seek a remedy in the courts to block access to sites offering their content for free.
The Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015, introduced into parliament by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull in March to curb online piracy of film and TV shows, passed with the Coalition and Labor’s support 37-13.
The Australian Greens opposed it, as did Senators David Leyonhjelm, Glenn Lazarus and Ricky Muir.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!
