The Australian Attorney-General’s Department is looking to increase the penalties for copyright infringement, and has outlined its proposal in a new draft resolution. The proposal offers new penalties which essentially give copyright infringers a choice; either pay a fine or risk court prosecution. Of course, paying a fine usually implies money. With this draft, the penalty could also include the device used to created the infringing “article”. The maximum fine money-wise is $6,600.00 (Australian). The draft of the copyright infringement notice scheme (PDF, also available in word format) says that copyright infringement offenses include, among other things: ∙Making infringing copy commercially. ∙Selling or hiring out infringing copy. ∙Exhibiting infringing copy in public commercially. ∙Distributing infringing copy. ∙Making (or possessing) device for making infringing copy. ∙Causing recording or film to be heard or seen in public. An officer of the law, under what this draft scheme proposes, can confiscate the “infringing article” and the “infringing device”. The proposal describes the alleged infringing article as “…an infringing copy of a work or other subject-matter and that is alleged to have been involved in the commission of the offence.”
