Pirates ahoy...

The illegal downloading of music and films in Australia is an increasing phenomenon. As technology advances it is only becoming easier for the public to access free version of works in the public domain.  People in Australia should not be able to download music and films from the internet without paying for them.  The Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), introduced to balance the rights of the creator (copyright owner) with the needs and the rights of the public to use these works, is currently insufficient.   In Australia copyright is automatic; there is no registration process involved. 

The illegal downloading of music and films has various negative impacts for the creator, such as loss of revenue and loss of recognition.  Without the rewards provided from the sale of their works artists will not be able to afford to keep creating new work.  The larger scale impacts of illegal downloading threaten the very existence of Australia’s, already low budgeted creative enterprises, including our film, television and music industries.   The loss of precious revenue from illegal downloading impacts upon their capacity to continue providing work free-to-air and threatens their ability to compete on a global scale.   Illegal downloading also threatens the livelihood of ‘regular’ people with many retail and hospitality jobs lost due to the increasingly digitalized nature of the industry and subsequent disappearance of cinemas, and traditional DVD and music store fronts. 

Not enough is currently being done to protect the interests of the creator of works.  Research shows that the main driver of illegal downloading is the mistaken belief that content is free.  The first step in curbing illegal downloading is the education of the public through campaigns publicizing the effects of illegal downloading on the already suffering Australian creative industries.  More stringent copyright laws also need to be introduced in Australia with more severe penalties for infringements.  The introduction of more affordable download and pay schemes like Itunes is also required to encourage the Australian public to do the right thing.