iiNet

PRIVACY advocates fear adverse consequences for consumers if Hollywood interests are handed a victory in a landmark copyright appeal in the High Court later this year. The Australian Privacy Foundation late yesterday applied to intervene in the case under High Court's amicus provisions in a bid to ensure that its ruling adequately accounts for privacy. In its application the APF argued that the matters to be considered in the appeal would have privacy impacts for "virtually every person in Australia". The High Court appeal is the final attempt by a group of 34 entertainment companies to persuade Australia's Federal Court that Perth-based iiNet should be held liable for acts of copyright infringement carried out on their networks. The case is the first of its kind to reach the trial phase in the world and is widely viewed as having major implications for the broader telecommunications industry. See here.