Powerful line-up for Copyright Workshop

A strong line-up of technical, legal and industry experts will provide presentations and sit on panels for two Copyright Workshops being organised for mid-February by InternetNZ (The Internet Society of New Zealand). The workshops will address the Copyright (New Technologies and Performers' Rights) Amendment Bill, ahead of the closing date for Select Committee submissions.Presenters and panelists include University of Auckland’s Peter Gutmann, technologist Nathan Torkington, Bronwyn Turley of the Ministry of Economic Development, barristers Clive Elliott and Michael Wigley, internet and music commentator Russell Brown, Victoria University’s Stephen Marshall, amplifier.co.nz’s Chris Hocquard, and APRA’s Anthony Healey amongst others.The events will be chaired by Wellington barrister Peter Dengate Thrush and InternetNZ Vice President David Farrar.The workshops, entitled “Tackling the Copyright Amendment Bill” will discuss aspects of the Copyright (New Technologies and Performers’ Rights) Amendment Bill including ISP liability, technological protection measures, fair use, rights of copyright owners vs. rights of users, and format shifting.InternetNZ is supportive of the legislation but has a number of reservations in respect to the detail that may be able to be worked out in the Select Committee stage. As well as the key issues for the Society of ISP liability, hosting and ISP definition, there are discussions to be had on technological protection measures, format shifting and fair use.The Copyright Amendment Bill has attracted a lot of passionate and articulate discussion in the media and across the Web, and the workshops are open for all to attend.The invitation, programme and presenter biographies are available on InternetNZ’s website at: http://www.internetnz.net.nz/issues/events/copyright/For further comment contact:Keith DavidsonExecutive Director, InternetNZexe.dir@internetnz.net.nz or 021 377 587