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Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018, Australia

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Latest Version in WIPO Lex
Details Details Year of Version 2018 Dates Entry into force: December 11, 2018 Adopted: December 10, 2018 Type of Text Main IP Laws Subject Matter Copyright and Related Rights (Neighboring Rights), Enforcement of IP and Related Laws Notes The notification by Australia to the WTO under Article 63.2 of TRIPS states:
'The Act amends the online copyright infringement scheme in section 115A of the Copyright Act 1968, which is aimed at allowing the Federal Court of Australia to issue injunctions requiring the blocking of access by users in Australia to overseas online locations that facilitate large-scale infringement of copyright.

The Act amends the scope of the previous scheme by:

• providing that an injunction may be granted in respect of an online location that has ‘the primary purpose or the primary effect’ of infringing, or facilitating an infringement, of copyright (whether or not in Australia);

• including a rebuttable presumption that the online location is outside Australia, to reduce the evidentiary burden on copyright owners;

• enabling copyright owners to seek injunctions requiring online search engine providers to take such steps as the Court considers reasonable so as not to provide search results that refer users to online locations blocked under the scheme (the scheme previous only applied to internet service providers);

• clarifying that the Federal Court may grant injunctions in terms that allow:

- the copyright owner and carriage service provider, by agreement, to apply the injunction to block other domain names, URLs and IP addresses that start to provide access to the online location after the injunction is made;

- the copyright owner and online search engine provider, by agreement, to apply the injunction to not provide search results that include domain names, URLs and IP addresses that start to provide access to the online location after the injunction is made; and

• enabling the Minister, by legislative instrument, to declare that particular online search engine providers, or classes of online search engine providers, be exempt from the scheme.'

Available Materials

Main Text(s) Related Text(s)
Main text(s) Main text(s) English Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018        
 Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018

Infringement) Act 2018

No. 157, 2018

related purposes

(https://www.legislation.gov.au/)

Note: An electronic version of this Act is available on the Federal Register of Legislation

Copyright Amendment (Online

An Act to amend the Copyright Act 1968, and for

Authorised Version C2018A00157

Authorised Version C2018A00157

Authorised Version C2018A00157

Contents 1 Short title ...........................................................................................1

2 Commencement.................................................................................2

3 Schedules...........................................................................................2

Schedule 1—Amendments 3

Copyright Act 1968 3

No. 157, 2018 Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 i

Authorised Version C2018A00157

Authorised Version C2018A00157

Copyright Amendment (Online

Infringement) Act 2018

No. 157, 2018

An Act to amend the Copyright Act 1968, and for

related purposes

[Assented to 10 December 2018]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1 Short title

This Act is the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act

2018.

No. 157, 2018 Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 1

Authorised Version C2018A00157

2 Commencement

(1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table

commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with

column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect

according to its terms.

Commencement information

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

Provisions Commencement Date/Details

1. The whole of The day after this Act receives the Royal 11 December

this Act Assent. 2018

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally

enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of

this Act.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act.

Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it

may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3 Schedules

Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect

according to its terms.

Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 No. 157, 20182

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Amendments Schedule 1

Schedule 1—Amendments

Copyright Act 1968

1 Section 115A (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

115A Injunctions relating to online locations outside Australia

2 Subsections 115A(1) and (2)

Repeal the subsections, substitute:

Application for an injunction

(1) The owner of a copyright may apply to the Federal Court of

Australia to grant an injunction that requires a carriage service

provider to take such steps as the Court considers reasonable to

disable access to an online location outside Australia that:

(a) infringes, or facilitates an infringement, of the copyright; and

(b) has the primary purpose or the primary effect of infringing,

or facilitating an infringement, of copyright (whether or not

in Australia).

(2) The application under subsection (1) may also request that the

injunction require an online search engine provider (other than a

provider that is covered by a declaration under subsection (8B)) to

take such steps as the Court considers reasonable so as not to

provide a search result that refers users to the online location.

Granting the injunction

(2A) The Court may grant the injunction in the terms, and subject to the

conditions, that the Court considers appropriate.

Note 1: For the matters that the Court may take into account when determining

whether to grant the injunction, see subsection (5).

Note 2: The terms and conditions of the injunction that apply to a carriage

service provider under subsection (1) may be different from those that

apply to an online search engine provider under subsection (2).

(2B) Without limiting subsection (2A), the injunction may:

No. 157, 2018 Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 3

Authorised Version C2018A00157

Schedule 1 Amendments

(a) require the carriage service provider to take reasonable steps

to do either or both of the following:

(i) block domain names, URLs and IP addresses that

provide access to the online location and that are

specified in the injunction;

(ii) block domain names, URLs and IP addresses that the

carriage service provider and the owner of the copyright

agree, in writing, have started to provide access to the

online location after the injunction is made; and

(b) require the online search engine provider to take reasonable

steps to do either or both of the following:

(i) not provide search results that include domain names,

URLs and IP addresses that provide access to the online

location and that are specified in the injunction;

(ii) not provide search results that include domain names,

URLs and IP addresses that the online search engine

provider and the owner of the copyright agree, in

writing, have started to provide access to the online

location after the injunction is made.

3 After paragraph 115A(3)(b)

Insert:

(ba) if the application under subsection (1) also sought for the

injunction to apply against an online search engine

provider—the online search engine provider; and

4 After paragraph 115A(4)(a)

Insert:

(aa) if the application under subsection (1) also sought for the

injunction to apply against an online search engine

provider—the online search engine provider; and

5 Paragraph 115A(5)(a)

Omit “(1)(c)”, substitute “(1)(b)”.

6 After paragraph 115A(5)(e)

Insert:

(ea) if the application under subsection (1) also sought for the

injunction to apply against an online search engine

Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 No. 157, 20184

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Amendments Schedule 1

provider—whether not providing search results that refer

users to the online location is a proportionate response in the

circumstances;

7 After paragraph 115A(5)(g)

Insert:

(ga) if the application under subsection (1) also sought for the

injunction to apply against an online search engine

provider—whether it is in the public interest not to provide

search results that refer users to the online location;

8 After subsection 115A(5)

Insert:

Presumption that the online location is outside Australia

(5A) For the purposes of the proceedings, the online location is

presumed to be outside Australia, unless the contrary is

established.

9 After subsection 115A(8)

Insert:

(8A) An application under subsection (7) must not request the Court to

vary the injunction so that it applies to an online search engine

provider that is covered by a declaration under subsection (8B).

Declarations excluding online search engine providers

(8B) The Minister may, by legislative instrument, declare that:

(a) a particular online search engine provider; or

(b) an online search engine provider that is a member of a

particular class;

must not be specified in an application under subsection (1) or (7).

10 Subsection 115A(9)

Omit “The carriage service provider”, substitute “A carriage service

provider or, if applicable, an online search engine provider”.

No. 157, 2018 Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 5

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Schedule 1 Amendments

11 Subsection 131A(2)

Omit “against carriage service providers providing access”, substitute

“relating”.

12 Application of amendments

The amendments made by this Schedule apply to applications under

section 115A of the Copyright Act 1968 that are made on and after the

commencement of this Schedule for:

(a) the making of an injunction under that section after that

commencement; or

(b) the varying or rescinding of an injunction that is made under

that section before or after that commencement.

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 18 October 2018

Senate on 12 November 2018]

(217/18)

Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2018 No. 157, 20186


Legislation Amends (1 text(s)) Amends (1 text(s)) WTO Document Reference
IP/N/1/AUS/17
IP/N/1/AUS/C/23
IP/N/1/AUS/E/1
No data available.

WIPO Lex No. AU509