Check the date.........

Sorry but this isn't one of those jokes!
It's NOT music I'm referring to specifically, we do a LOT of work dubbing VHS etc to DVD etc, converting audio files etc, just hum drum post stuff. We're exposed and maybe others are too.
The real point of my post is that things down here have changed.
Bob.

Bob

My apologies. This does raise some very worrying thoughts as I too do a lot of work dubbing VHS to DVD etc.

More information required.
Sorry again.
Dave

That's cool.
Don't know how much more I can add.
In summary, the FTA signed by our PM makes US copyright law applicable in Australia. It provide for criminal as well as civil sanctions for breaches.
If you are doing dubs then you really need to get the clients to sign a document to the effect that they warrant that they own or have permission to make copies. You'd obviously need a legal guy who specialises in this area to draw this up. The effect of the term 'warrant' is that they accept their costs and yours if they've told a fib.
You solictor would I expect tell you that this still doesn't entirely take you out of harms way. If it'd be reasonable for you to know it was unlikely that the granny down the road owned the copyright to the latest James Bond movie, then no matter what she'd signed I don't think the courts would let you hide behind the document.
But I've discovered that some of the worst offenders are the ones who should know better such as our broadcasters, now I think if they signed such a document I'd be pretty much in the clear and that's why I'm going to persue the matter. I've got another client whose got much deeper pockets than me who also has a rather cavalier attitude that's a worry and another who'd promised he'd pay a fee for usage of a copyrighted work but I know for a fact they didn't, they still haven't paid me either which is why I wasn't going to pay the fee myself.
Bob.

While I am not a laywer, so don't take anything I say as fact, here in the US most dub houses or DVD pressing companies have a blanket form that you sign letting them off the hook prior to them running your job.

You may need to incorporate these basic forms much like the model release form for any oncamera people.

http://www.discmakers.com/cdrom/preparingyourorder/copyrights.asp

info with other links to the actual form I fill out each time I have them press a DVD.

Phil

While I am not a laywer, so don't take anything I say as fact, here in the US most dub houses or DVD pressing companies have a blanket form that you sign letting them off the hook prior to them running your job.

You may need to incorporate these basic forms much like the model release form for any oncamera people.

http://www.discmakers.com/cdrom/preparingyourorder/copyrights.asp

info with other links to the actual form I fill out each time I have them press a DVD.

Phil

"...Effect of the FTA with the US is that Australians are now subject to the same criminal sanctions as apply in the USA in regard to copyright. I summise that technically ***you could be extradited to the USA*** to face charges there for breach of copyright."

If I were Australian I'd be very outraged (not because of the copyright law itself). The question is: where's Australia's sovereignty? What a shame.