http://www.zdnet.com/skynet-undermined-by-movie-sector-inaction-7000010794/
Skynet undermined by movie sector inaction
Summary: It seems we can discriminate between the "unlawful" downloading of music and the "unlawful" downloading of video.
Inconsistency became clear following the first fine being issued under New Zealand's "three strikes" or "Skynet" copyright laws.
Last week, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) won a case where a music pirate was ordered to pay damages of NZ$616.57 for downloading several songs.
However, when quizzed afterwards, the NZ Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT), which represents the movie sector, said that it won't be pursuing copyright cases.
It claims the NZ$25 fee that internet service providers (ISPs) can charge them to help cover the cost of administering infringement notices is too high.
Thus, under the Copyright Act, we have yet to see any actions against movie piracy, and while NZFACT retains its current stance, New Zealand is unlikely to. Effectively, this means the Act, as far as movies and TV are concerned, is unenforceable, or at least inoperative.
The copyright law here is effectively inoperative. By not pursuing cases, NZFACT has deliberately made this so.
As Paul Brislen of the Telecom Users Association of NZ notes, it does seem strange that NZFACT won't spend NZ$25 to help protect movies that may cost US$100 million to make.
Perhaps NZFACT realises that until effective download services for video are available in New Zealand are available, its position is indefensible.