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Home / New Zealand

Online demo over copyright law

By Elosie Gibson
NZ Herald·
20 Feb, 2009 03:00 PM3 mins to read

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KEY POINTS:

Thousands of internet users will find nothing on their favourite website on Monday but a single image denouncing a controversial copyright law.

Website owners of all political shades have agreed to "dim the lights" on their web pages to protest against a law that could see internet access cut from users who have not committed any offence.

Three of the websites - Scoop News, Kiwiblog and Public Address - have a combined fan base of more than 100,000 unique visitors a week.

Other sites planning to take down all content in favour of a protest include The Standard, Throng, GeekZone, No Right Turn, Frog Blog and Whale Oil.

The Copyright Amendment Act takes effect today.

Protesters believe Section 92A - passed last year after initially being removed by the MPs' panel studying the legislation - puts internet providers in the role of both judge and enforcer policing copyright infringements.

The law requires internet service providers to adopt a policy for terminating the accounts of anyone deemed a "repeat infringer", even if the person has not been convicted of a crime.

Last night, protest organiser and Creative Freedom Foundation director Bronwyn Holloway-Smith said there was no protection for people who were hit by a virus that downloaded or sent copyright material, or for people who shared computers at businesses, libraries or schools.

A copy of a petition against the law that gathered more than 10,000 signatures online was presented to United Future leader Peter Dunne and tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

Ms Holloway-Smith said she was "blown away" by the level of opposition. Details of just what protesting websites would say on Monday were still being finalised last night.

Many websites ran black banners across the top of their home pages this week as part of a week-long "blackout" campaign.

Users of social networking sites Facebook, Myspace and Bebo were asked to blank out their profile pictures.

British actor Stephen Fry even got in on the act, using his hugely popular social networking page on the website Twitter to draw attention to the issue.

Labour MP Clare Curran has drafted a private member's bill overturning the section and will attempt to get Parliament to consider it.

The law was passed by the previous Government in a pre-election rush last year with support from both major parties.

The offending clause was removed by a select committee, but was re-inserted by the minister responsible for the legislation, Judith Tizard, when it returned to the House.

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