ACIPA Conference - what AGD is up to these days

I was at the ACIPA conference at Minter Ellison on 17 February 2007. Philip Ruddock and Helen Daniels explained what the Attorney-General's Department was going to be up to in 2007, now that the copyright amendments have gone through. Some of the projectsthey listed:

• The creation of preservation copying guidelines

• The conclusion of the Technological Protection Measures Exception Review and the release of the TPM exception Regulations

• Accession to WCT and WPPT

• Considering extending safe harbours to universities

• Preparation and consultation of copyright enforcement guidelines

• Statutory review of format shifting (before 31 March 2008) - considering extension to audiovisual material

• Releasing an orphan works issues paper in the coming months

• Development of an indigenous community moral rights bill - no external review planned

• Working on other options for enforcement of copyright - working closer with AFP

• Whole of Government approach to management of IP - the Audit Office has tabled two reports on this topic

• Government response to Crown Copyright - SCAG has looked at the report, and AGDs is looking further

• AGDs and DCITA are looking at a legal deposit regime.

• Australia will take a more active role in the WIPO Standing Committee, and work on the Broadcasting treaty

• Australia is trying to be more active within APEC

• Australia will be pursuing bilateral free trade agreements, including IP agreements, with: China, Japan, Chile, New Zealand, Indonesia, and ASEAN.