The Australian police will have the power to issue on-the-spot fines to pirate DVD and compact disc hawkers under new laws. Sellers of pirate discs and movies could also be forced to repay what they earn through sales of unlicensed material under proceeds of crime laws.

The measures are part of a large package of changes to copyright laws to be introduced to Australia’s Federal Parliament by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock this year. A spokeswoman for Ruddock said police would have the power to issue fines to anyone they believed had committed copyright piracy.

The proposed fine would be A$1320. If the matter went to court, a fine of between $6600 and $93,500 could be imposed. As rules currently stand, most minor piracy offences such as illegal discs being sold at markets or over the internet are ignored by police because of the time and expense involved in prosecutions.

"These fines will be a quick and convenient way to deal with minor offenders," Ruddock's spokeswoman said. "They will remove the added time and expense that police would normally face in preparing a case against an offender in court."

"Instead of proving beyond reasonable doubt that a person has committed an offence, a police officer will be able to issue and on-the-spot fine to a person if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe an offence has been committed," she said.

Police would now be able to sweep through markets or stores at short notice to crack-down on pirates. The threat of a fine could be backed with the threat of more serious charges.

The main thrust of the wider copyright package is to allow Australians to legally copy their CD collections onto iPods and MP3 players. It also will now be legal to record television shows at home to watch later.

Technically, millions of Australians break the law whenever they copy a CD or record a TV programme. Under existing laws, people copying material risk being sued by the copyright owner.

Ruddock has said the copyright changes will be fairer for people who buy legitimate products, but tough for those who seek to make a profit from selling pirated goods.

The new laws have been welcomed by the Australian Recording Industry Association and by the big movie producers and video rental companies. (Source: The Courier Mail)

Story filed 24.05.06