COPYING television programs and music will soon be legal under amendments to copyright law.
The changes will also make it easier to prosecute copyright pirates.Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, who introduced the Copyright Amendment Bill to parliament today, said the internet and digital technology had created new challenges and opportunities.
We want laws in place which mean copyright pirates are penalised for flouting the law while ordinary consumers are not infringing the law through everyday use of copyright products they have legitimately purchased, he said.
Mr Ruddock said the amendments would make it legal for people to tape TV or radio programs for later replay.
It would be legal to reproduce material like music, newspapers and books into different formats for private use - meaning people can transfer music from their CDs to iPods.
Educational and cultural institutions could use copyright material when it didn't undermine the copyright owner's normal market.
And comedians and cartoonists could use copyright material for parody or satire.
Mr Ruddock said it was becoming increasingly easy to infringe copyright and the bill would tackle piracy online and at Australia's markets and borders.
Law enforcement officers would be given more options to deal with infringements - ranging from notices for minor offences to criminal proceedings to strip pirates of their profits in more serious cases.
They are not aimed at ordinary people but at copyright pirates who profit at the expense of our creators, he said.
Debate was adjourned.
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