As reported at nzherald.co.nz , the controversial Section 92A of the Copyright Act has been repealed and a new version has been introduced to Parliament.  To learn about the new version click here

The Hon Simon Power, Minister for Justice, announced the release of a Cabinet Paper that outlines the basis of new legislation, which will be introduced to Parliament early next year. This follows a review of section 92A of the Copyright Act 1994.

The main points of the proposal are:

• Right holders will be able to request that internet service providers (ISPs) give alleged infringers notice to stop infringing activity.
• The first notice will inform the account holder that infringing has occurred and is illegal. Two further notices may be sent.
• If infringing continues after three notices, the right holder may seek a penalty of up to $15,000 at the Copyright Tribunal. The amount will be based on the damage to the copyright owner.
• Where serious and continued breaches occur, right holders will be able to go to court to seek a range of remedies, including the suspension of accounts for up to six months.
• Account holders will be able to issue counter notices, and can request a hearing if they feel they should not be penalised.

A copy of the Cabinet Paper is available at http://www.med.govt.nz/s92a-cabinet-paper-p2p

The full version of this article can be found at the New Zealand Government website.