On 26 July 2007, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
Copyright Treaty and the Performances and Phonograms Treaty came into
force in Australia. The treaties are known as the Internet treaties
and protect copyright in the online environment. There are over 60
other parties to the treaties including the USA, Japan and China.

The coming into force of the treaties means that Australian creators
and performers will enjoy digital-age protection for their creative
output in other treaty‑member countries.

It also means that Australia’s performers will enjoy the right to be
known and respected for their performances in a similar way to authors
and film-makers.  Now that Australia is a party to the WIPO Performance
and Phonograms Treaty, provisions currently set out in Note 2 of the
Copyright Act for performers’ moral rights come into operation as new
Part IX.

A fact sheet outlining moral rights for authors, film-makers and performers is available.

The Attorney-General’s Department has developed draft guidelines for
the administration of the infringement notice scheme. These are
intended to assist police officers in the administration of the
scheme. For example, these include a list of factors that police
officers may take into account when deciding whether to issue an
infringement notice, and procedures for the destruction of forfeited
infringing copies.

The introduction of the scheme was designed to deal specifically with
lower-level copyright crime such as first time offenders, street stall
or market operators.

The draft guidelines are open for consideration and comment until 5 October 2007.