Malcolm Turnbull weighs in on online piracy crackdown

According to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, film and music companies ought to foot the bill for any schemes intended to crack down on online piracy.

In an interview with the ABC news program AM this morning, Turnbull said companies seeking tougher anti-piracy measures should be able to justify why Australians are expected to pay more for media, as well as why we have to wait longer to access it than overseas consumers.

“I’m a big believer in freedom on the Internet. Freedom on the Internet does not mean freedom to steal,” he told ABC presenter Chris Uhlmann.

Having already released a document with Attorney General George Brandis containing proposals to combat online copyright infringement, Turnbull believes that rights holders can discourage piracy by making their content cheaper and more readily accessible.

“The content owners in the debate that’s going to follow this discussion paper have got to justify why they charge more to Australians, why they are not releasing content in Australia at precisely the same time as it’s released in the United States or anywhere else in the world,” Turnbull said.

Australians already pay 50% more than customers in the US on iTunes Top 50 Chart tracks according to consumer group CHOICE.

Responses to the Government’s discussion paper can be submitted here.