by Amy Pettinger, Content Cafe — 30 May 2023
A number of organisations representing the film and television industry, including anti-piracy advocacy group Creative Content Australia, Foxtel Group and the Motion Picture Distributors Association have called on the Government to establish a dedicated IP enforcement body.
The recommendation was made within a number of submissions for the Copyright Enforcement Review which is being carried out by the Attorney General’s Department.
According to the MPDAA submission, commercial scale piracy matters which have been referred to the AFP “have not been taken up with enough urgency to achieve a tangible outcome” as the criminal justice system in Australia lacks the will and resources to prosecute copyright and IP offences.
Studiocanal AU NZ CEO Elizabeth Trotman recently shared her experience on this with Content Café.
The establishment of a dedicated criminal enforcement unit would address commercial scale piracy and provide a strong deterrent for operators.
How will an IP Crime Unit help Australia?
- Suspected operators pursued quickly
- Support focus and progression of cases
- It will send a message to commercial pirate operators that Australia is not a free-for-all
Foxtel Group also noted in their submission that existing models in other countries, in particular the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, or PIPCU, in the UK has been highly successful in investigating and pursuing criminal breaches of the United Kingdom’s copyright laws.
FURTHER READING: Fighting piracy from inside the specialist unit at the City of London Police, by Sandy George, 15 November 2021