Update 2009/04/04: This proposed legislation has now been thrown out, following a huge protest. The Creative Freedom Foundation NZ contributed a lot to mustering support amongst citizens, who asked their MPs to vote against the thing. Another failed attempt to reduce our lawful and democratic rights.
___________________________________________
The Enquirer article here has a link to a site to protest this proposed law:
The Creative Freedom Foundation NZ
I have just written to Helen Clark, Labour MP and ex-PM, regarding this.
______________________________________________________
Dear Ms Clark,______________________________________________________
I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms regarding this proposed legislation, which appears to be being forced through approval at the behest of interested commercial lobbyists, and against the interests of people's democratic rights, freedom and liberty.
The government appears set to adopt a daft, draconian copyright infringement law next month, which will see Internet users summarily disconnected merely upon accusation that they've unlawfully shared copyrighted files, with no proof, due process or right of appeal involved.
Termed Section 92 of the Copyright Amendment Act, this outrageous Kiwi legislation makes the assumption that any Internet user in the country accused of copyright infringement will automatically be deemed guilty. Just the allegation requires that their ISP disconnect them.
Instigated at the behest of the RIANZ, New Zealand's Big Music MAFIAA analogue of the US-based RIAA, the law is currently scheduled to be put into force at the end of February 2009.
Any "Guilt upon accusation" law would be fundamentally wrong. Western democracy, freedom, liberty and law thrives - amongst other things - on a robust declaration about due process in the proving of guilt.
If this law is approved, then it would presage the further progressive reduction of people's democratic rights, freedom and liberty.
No comments:
Post a Comment