Google warns Australian Government against three-strikes law

One month after Attorney-General George Brandis mentioned a ­“three-strikes policy” tactic to solve the ongoing copyright infringement problem in Australia, Google have stepped in with a recommendation letter that polarises it.

Last year Australia’s Minister for Communication Malcolm Turnbull asked Google, along with a handful of other companies, for its input on copyright legislation; Torrentfreak.com has obtained and published Google’s response to the Australian Government.

The search juggernaut’s comments regarding regulation in the communications sector suggest the Government’s decisions “be taken against the reality that Australia’s digital sector supports Australian creators and innovators, creates new distribution and monetisation models, and ultimately opens economic opportunities.”

The letter suggests our Government drop its tactics for anti-piracy legislation and implement more transparent takedown measures.

“We believe there is significant, credible evidence emerging that online piracy is primarily an availability and pricing problem. We would encourage the Government to promote new business models and a free marketplace for legal purchasing of content.”

Google is also concerned for the Internet services now liable for pirating users and the effect that has on future innovation.

“We would be disappointed if the Government decided to go down the route of overly harsh regulation to combat piracy without considering the evidence from around the world that this would likely be costly for businesses to implement and with little effect.”

Google believe Australia’s Copyright Act 1968 should be revised as it contains provisions unsuitable for the Digital Age.

“For example, a basic internet function like caching is dealt with in three separate places in the act, with three different legal treatments, and it is not possible for an online service provider to operate a cache in Australia with any degree of legal certainty,” Google says.

Earlier this month we spoke to consumer rights watchdog CHOICE about the larger issues surrounding Brandis’ “three-strikes” suggestion as well as the organisation’s campaign and petition. You can read the interview with Campaigns Coordinator Madison Cartwright here.