Copyright Protection in Australia Law - Research Paper Example

The increasing sophistication of technology has led to the emergence of newer forms of copyright infringement. The laws enacted to cope with copyright infringement had been designed before the onset of the new digital environment. Those laws found it very difficult to deal with infringements. To effectively deal with these new forms of infringement, policymakers in many nations, sought out new ways and new legislation.

Accordingly, the US enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and the Australian Federal Parliament passed the Digital Agenda Act (DAA). The proliferation of the Internet and the advancement of digital technology created the Digital Age, which permits copyrighted content to be published in a form that can be easily replicated, without loss of quality.

A few security mechanisms were developedtoto protect copyrighted works. These technological protection measures (TPM) are used to prevent unauthorized access and copying of the digital works of copyright owners. Moreover, TPMs enable copyright owners to regulate the distribution, u,se and access to their works, on their own, without seeking the assistance of the enforcement authorities.

Several technological devices are beiutilizedsed, to limit the dissemination of digital content. Such measures have been applied even to some of the public uses of digital material. Such technologies, coupled with copyright laws that enforce greater restrictions on the use of copyrighted material, have posed a palpable challenge to the concept of a universally accessible digital library.

Music piracy caused a loss of nearly 4.3 billion US dollars across the world. To counter this problem, the IFPI launched several campaigns and raids, in collaboration with governments, law enforcement authorities, cus, toms, and courts. This exercise was conducted in nearly fifty countries, in the first instance. The Business Software Alliance estimates that software piracy had deprived the US economy of legitimate revenue to the tune of S $ 1.8 billion in the year 2001. The Business Software Alliance is conducting nationwide campaigns to educate people about piracy and its implications.