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04 Feb 2018
The Service Providers Bill is as an initial step to fixing our safe harbour system.
The Australian Libraries Copyright Committee (ALCC) made a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’s Inquiry on the Copyright Amendment (Service Providers) Bill.
The ALCC welcomes the amendments proposed by the Copyright Amendment (Service Providers) Bill 2017 as an initial step in improving Australia’s safe harbour arrangements. They will provide significant benefits to Australia’s library and archive community, lower the risk involved in digital engagement projects, and enable our members to more confidently fulfill their role as important service providers for all Australians.
The ALCC also maintains its support for the further extension of the copyright safe harbours to all online service providers, including commercial platforms, to ensure Australia has a fully functional safe harbour system works as intended – to increase the efficiency and reduce the costs of battling online infringement.
About the bill
The Copyright Amendment (Service Providers) Bill 2017 was introduced into the Senate on Wednesday 6 December 2017.
From summary of the bill from the Parliament of Australia website:
Amends the Copyright Act 1968 to extend the operation of the safe harbour scheme to a broader range of service providers, including educational institutions, libraries, archives, key cultural institutions and organisations assisting persons with a disability.
The text of the bill is available to read on the Parliament of Australia website.
About the Inquiry
On 7 December 2017 the Senate referred the bill 2017 to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by Monday 19 March 2018.
Submissions closed on Tuesday 30 January 2018.
Inquiry report
On Monday 19 March 2018 the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee released its report which recommended that the Senate pass the bill.
Government response
On Wednesday 9 May 2018 the Australian Government tabled their response to the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’s Inquiry report which supported the Committee’s recommendation to pass the bill.
The Act
The Copyright Amendment (Service Providers) Act 2018 was assented to on Friday 29 June 2018 and commenced on Saturday 29 December 2018.
Download our submission
You can download our submission as a Portable Document File (PDF).